Guided By Jealousy
by Gemnat
Summary: Filled with a certain feeling he refuses to acknowledge, Chiba Mamoru sets about to make sure his ex is just as miserable as he is. AU - taking the runaway idea but doing something different: no SM so no dreams or scouts....
1. The nightmares begin

**oh hai!!! I'm attempting another story....the idea came to me so this is the start...**

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If there was a way for my chest to explode, it felt like it was only seconds away from doing just that. This would be the fifth time this week I've woken up in such a state. Head pounding, heart racing, sweat cloaking my face as if it were a second skin, much like how it had my pyjamas clinging to my wet skin. Quickly this was becoming a nightly ritual that I could desperately live without. These dreams were a bit depressing, not because of their nature, but because they were worrying me; I thought I was over this. Scooting over to the edge of my king sized bed, relaxation was soon achieved as my mind focused on other things. Knowing that the sandman would not be returning for the night, I used my personal bathroom to wash my face before I made my way on to my balcony.

"Come on man you're supposed to be over this!" Chiding myself, I looked out into the early morning sky. No matter how much I tried to fathom the reasoning behind my worry, no ready answer came. Why? Why now? It had already been seven years so why was I now being haunted by these memories. I thought I had moved on. No, I HAD moved on; I was sure of it. But this depressing feeling that I have been getting after these dreams is telling me otherwise.

Leaning over on the rails, my eyes closed automatically in frustration. One hand ran through the black hair flowing from my head, down to my neck as the fingers attempted to work out kinks that were forming in the muscles. I slid down to sit on the cold cement as dew fell silently to cover me as well as the floor. My mind was at work trying to solve this riddle, but to me it felt like I was a man trained in law trying to understand the science behind Einstein's theories.

Frantically I went back over the happenings of the past weeks, months even; all in an attempt to find anything that would have sent me into my current state. The more nothing came the more I felt tears pricking my eyes. I wanted to laugh in spite of myself, for anyone seeing me anywhere close to tears would probably wonder if the world was coming to an end. But at this point the frustration was getting to me. I always had an answer for everything!

Then like a slap in the face a memory hit me. Like a movie being projected onto a screen, such was how the scene played in my mind's eye and I watched it unwillingly. I knew what was happening, and I also knew how I felt when it was happening. It refused to stop so I had to keep watching.

Months before she had walked into my office seeking employment. Now highly qualified I realised it would have been silly of me to turn her down because of what occurred between us years before, when she clearly had forgiven and forgotten past transgressions. For months we worked amicably with each other, bouncing ideas off one another which would help improve and expand the company. Even I had to admit that her ideas were brilliant, some probably more brilliant than mine, and that was no small feat for me.

One day we were working late however, as we were trying to complete a merger with a company who had been having financial troubles. Wanting to make sure she got home safely, I asked if she had driven to work or if she needed me to drive her home. Smiling her usual smile she looked at me and said thanks but she already had a way to get home. I didn't think anything of it then so we continued to work fervently until it was time to call it a day. As we were packing up her phone went off and I heard her confirm she was finished and would be ready whenever the person came for her. Sitting in the customer lounge, the building was deadly silent apart from our steady breathing; too tired to even form casual conversation.

Then I saw him come up to the locked doors, knock and wave to signal his presence to her as he flashed her an award winning smile. Ignoring my presence she quickly ran to the door in excitement, unlocked to allow him to enter and kissed him passionately. That seemed to last 5 years when in reality it was probably 5 seconds. I couldn't place, no, I didn't want to acknowledge the feeling of intense jealousy that was welling up within me, but I knew that it was there. Why was I jealous? It had been years since we were involved in any sort of relationship and much like she was now involved with someone, I had been involved with a couple women during that period.

As if they remembered I was there, they turned around to face me and offered thanks for staying until he arrived so she wouldn't have been alone. It wasn't an issue; I didn't mind staying with her and thought it would have been a great disservice if I HADN'T stayed. My emotions pointed me towards another issue however: her boyfriend. But I quickly crushed those stray emotions; a habit I was accustomed to. Saying our goodbyes we left after I locked the door, as I watched them walk off arm in arm.

My knees raised, I buried my face in them as the scene cut. "I do NOT want her!" I yelled into the stillness. I had ended the relationship. I had told her we were over. I had told her she wasn't good enough; she was a hindrance to my dreams and I pointed out all her flaws. So why the hell was this bothering me? Resolve steeled, I stood up and headed towards the bed to see if I could salvage any part of my sleep without using the sandman.

"I do NOT want you. I do NOT want you. I do NOT want you." My way of counting sheep until I fell asleep; and it worked.

Luckily today was Saturday so I was allowed some time to catch up on missed sleep before I started my day. "Hm. Maybe I'll go see Motoki." Mind made up and the past night forgotten, I dressed before making my way over to the arcade where my friend worked.

******

"Alright, what's eating at you?"

Looking up at the voice of my friend, I stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"I asked what's eating at you, Mamoru? You haven't touched that mess you like to drink and you have been quiet all morning. So what's the matter?"

How was I supposed to answer Motoki? 'Hey man I'm feeling really jealous and stressed over a girl I dumped years ago after I saw her with her new boyfriend at work a few nights ago'. That would REALLY go down well. I had been sitting here for an hour now and my brain had enough time to stew over the facts I knew. No matter what though, I merely attributed this feeling to wanting her to be single and miserable in the same way that I was.

"Just concentrating on some work I have to do. You know how I am." I said with a smile. "Going over some numbers in my head and got distracted."

We continued conversing until I heard the bells ring to signal the arrival of a new customer.

"Toki!"

I knew that voice and I had a sinking feeling the person the voice belonged to wouldn't be alone. So thought, so done. Two persons sat next to me and struck up talk with Motoki and much like that night, I felt ignored again. As quickly as they came, they left to find a booth in the back away from most of the populace of the arcade. There was that jealousy again.

There was no running however. I stayed and chatted with Motoki until late in the afternoon. I did not want her, I did not need her. But I still longed to see her single like me, or at least that's what I told myself. A thought crossed my mind on exactly how I would achieve that. Detouring from my path home I sought out the one person I knew could get the job done.

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**so0o0o like it? hate it?? review and let me know plz! :) **

**also the chapter is in Mamoru's POV but it was simply for this chapter to get out the plot :) hope you enjoyed and will review**


	2. It's simple really

**ok here's chapter 2 :) **

**quick note: I said it would be different from other runaway stories so don't hate on me if it's not going, or hasn't started, the typical way plz lol**

**hope you enjoy!!!! :) **

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"You want me to do what now Mamoru?" she said with an incredulous look on her face.

"Oh come on Rei, you've never been that close to her so it won't matter to you. I can't do it; she might get the wrong idea. So I want to do this in a round – about sort of way." explained Mamoru.

He had come here to Rei to ask for her help. Usa…gi was not supposed to be happy when he was miserable with no one to call his own, so he needed to remedy that problem. If he had gone about trying to mess with her relationship she would think he still had feelings for her, but he didn't. On the way over he convinced himself of it: there was no jealousy, he was only trying to make things even.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to try stealing her boyfriend from her just to satisfy some morbid dream of yours where Usagi needs to be single because you can't find a stable woman." It was a statement rather than a question.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Mamoru nodded. "That's what I said; it's not complicated. You don't even have to stay with him. Are you going to have a problem with it? If so I can just ask someone else."

"Why wouldn't I be able to do it Mamoru? Her happiness is no concern of mine. I'm just wondering if you know what you're doing. Have you thought this through? As much as I hate to admit it, she seems to be doing good work for your company so what will happen if she leaves again because of this? What about your best friend? Motoki hasn't allowed any of us near the arcade except you and Minako since that whole incident happened years ago. He doesn't even speak when he sees any of us in public. Hell not even Minako speaks to us! What will happen to you both if this sends her away?"

Her arms folded across her chest, her eyes and posture spoke of indifference despite her line of questioning. It really wasn't her concern what happened to Usagi, but she still cared deeply for Mamoru even though he'd never look at her in the same way.

"Well if that should happen Motoki won't know that I asked you." His eyes pierced her to her soul, letting her know that was a command. His best friend would not find out, especially from her, that he set this up knowing it would hurt Usagi. "You said he doesn't like you and the others now so what difference will it make if he thinks you are being your usual bitchy self towards Usagi and stole her boyfriend. Get him and dump him if it so pleases you. He won't be shocked by your behaviour and he'll be there to pick up the pieces when they fall."

His stare sent a shiver down her spine, but the way he spoke of her drove a dagger through her heart a thousand times over. It wasn't any sort of love, let alone like, that made Mamoru come to her; it was because he thought she was a bitch and could easily manipulate men. His words almost insinuated that she was a whore.

Holding back tears that almost threatened to fall; she nodded her acceptance of the plan, said her goodbyes and shut the door without waiting for a response. Sliding down the door, she let the tears fall as violent spasms shook her body as she cried. Once again it was all about Usagi. Even now after all these years his actions revolved around Usagi. For years she had waited. She had stayed single in the hopes of getting his attention once Usagi had left. And once again she was left in the shadow of Usagi.

At the mere thought of the name she pounded a fist forcefully into the floor next to her. It was always about that blasted girl. She didn't like her, and had never pretended to. Their group of friends years ago had included her because she and Minako were friends and so she automatically became part of the group. She should have gone with her first instinct and insist that Usagi couldn't become part of the group; but for the sake of "peace" she had kept her mouth shut.

"Look where that's got me now." She said out loud in a huff. "All these years and she's still the puppet master to that idiot who can't see straight once she's around."

Suddenly she wasn't only angry at Usagi; she was angry at Mamoru. "He should have been mine damn it! Damn you to hell and back Usagi!"

Wiping vigorously at the remnant of tears on her face she arose from her place on the floor and set about her plan.

******

"Ahhh two beautiful ladies who deem me worthy enough to be in their presence! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Both women giggled as they looked at their target. "Oh quit it Motoki." Replied one voice.

"Yea who said we were here for you anyway?" the other voice said.

"I'm hurt." He said; placing his hands over his heart for dramatic effect. "Now leave me be let me die a lonely death, dreaming about these two beauties that stole my heart." Stumbling backwards, he pretended to faint which sent the two women into fits of laughter.

One woman then said to the other, "Well Usa it looks like we'll just have to rob this lifeless body of every valuable possession so we can fulfil our dreams of shopping."

"I think you're right Mina – chan. And since he's dead there's nothing he can do to stop us." Getting off their bar stools they began to make their way to Motoki's "lifeless" body to steal his money.

"Alright, alright there will be no taking of what little money I have to my name." Motoki said opening one eye quickly. As he got to his feet and dusted off his clothes he continued. "How long will you girls be shopping?"

"Why do you ask? Do you want to come when you're finished here?" asked Minako.

"No I'm asking so that I can extend my hours and miss your shopping spree." Motoki replied with a grin on his face.

"Fine then." Minako said with a shrug. Turning on the bar stool and flipping her hair she looked to Usagi. "I'm sure your boyfriend wouldn't mind helping me pick out my set of lingerie, ne Usa? Come on let's go."

Grabbing her friend by the hand they made a dash for the door, laughing all the way. Gaining on their heels was a very pissed off looking Motoki, who had barely managed to yell to a co – worker that they were in charge until he returned.

******

A haunting pair of blue eyes followed the quartet as they made their way across the mall. Their owner sat a table in one of the coffee places quietly watching them; the girls chatting up a storm with each other while their men carried their prized possessions. A sickening feeling came over him but he pushed it down. Soon a smirk replaced the frown.

"She won't be with him very long." He said with a triumphant, but soft voice. He'd let her enjoy it for now.

Leaving a tip on the table, he took his leave and headed towards home, making a call to his accomplice.

"We're starting tomorrow."

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**there it is...a small chapter that is just helping to set the platform for the story line much like the first chapter...one more chapter like this and then we'll get to the meat of the story...why? because I can!! lol and because I need you as the readers to understand where I want the story to go (without giving away my full plot hehehe) so if I run into a brain fart along the way you guys can give me ideas of where I should go.**

**quick note: yes Minako and Motoki are together lol (so no one asks); no I don't like Rei so I have no qualms making her the bad guy/girl in my fics :) (she's a bit of a bitch to me); and I don't know who I want to be Usagi's boyfriend now so I guess the first person that someone gives to me will be her man...**

**ja ne for now!! will update tomorrow :)**


	3. Business as usual

**:) as promised here is chapter 3....more story building so enjoy!**

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"You wanted to talk Mamoru – san?"

Lifting his head at the quiet yet confident sound, Mamoru saw Usagi standing at the entrance to his office. Closing his eyes in mock concentration, he attempted to get her image out of his head, as well as the slight twinge of hurt that came whenever she addressed him so informally.

'One, two, three, four…' he counted; but it was no use. She was a vision; she had aged beautifully and was now a glorious woman in full bloom. That wasn't to say that she had been ugly before, no. She had always been a looker, but like all teenagers she had gone through the reviled stage of puberty where her body was maturing before her mind and she was therefore a bit awkward about it all. With that stage fully behind her, she carried her "new" body splendidly. No longer was she dressing to hide the breasts that seemed to be growing over night and expanding hips; no longer was she a bit clumsy trying to adjust to her height as her body lengthened almost at will; and most of all she no longer held down her head shyly as she talked to people, which made everyone she came into contact with catch their breath as she bore into them with her striking blue eyes. Her skin appeared to be softer and more radiant, and with that last thought he almost wanted to touch it.

Reining in those thoughts his focus went back to the woman standing in front of him. "Hai, I did. Why don't you take a seat?"

He watched her, graceful as ever, as she walked towards one of the plush chairs that were positioned in front of his desk. Stormy eyes roamed her body appreciatively, with the black, pinned striped business suit doing wonders to accentuate her figure. The jacket was fitted to her small frame, with a V cut neckline that plunged deep enough to reveal an undershirt to cover her breasts. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you were, it still revealed enough cleavage to make the mouth water and leave your mind begging for more. Buttons were undone at the bottom to show the undershirt clinging to a flat stomach before descending into the skirt. Said skirt, exposed her shapely hips as they rounded nicely, and led to her long legs. Stopping at her knee, the hem of the skirt left from calf to toe uncovered. The smooth, slightly tanned skin made him want to see what the skirt was covering.

Either she was feigning innocence or she was blissfully unaware of the attention he was paying to her body. Slithering into the chair in what he thought to be a sensuous manner, she looked him dead in the face with uncertainty.

"Let me just cut straight to the crux of the matter." He started. "For the next few months, at the least, we're going to be involved in a couple of mergers and take – overs. Some of the companies are willingly merging with us because of the benefits we are offering and it still gives the shareholders some form of return on their investment. Our lawyers are handling those cases as we speak. A few others however, well, have minority shareholders who refuse to sell and allow us to take – over the company fully. Now while in that situation I've been advised that we legally have the upper hand, court cases are never certain and I don't want any curved balls thrown at us. I'm therefore going to need you to be the go between. Do whatever it reasonably takes to get them to sell, or at least find out as much information as possible that we can use if we have to go to court."

Taking a moment she processed what she had been told. It would be challenging, but she knew she could handle it. "Ok well that's fine Mamoru – san. How soon will we begin?"

Again he ignored her informal name for him and carried on. "We'll start this evening, since that's the earliest we could agree on. It means that we," pointing at himself and her, "might have to pull an all nighter. Sorry for any inconvenience but I recently found out as well so we're in the same boat." The last part he added on after seeing surprised and disappointment mar her features.

Sighing she replied to him. "It's fine Mamoru – san. I just had dinner reservations with Jadeite tonight at a very nice restaurant. We had to wait a month until they had reservations open that we could take; now it all seems quite pointless. I'll have to call him and tell him to plan for another time."

The sadness in her voice spoke of her honest disappointment at not being able to have dinner with her boyfriend, and it had started to eat at him before his mind started hatching a scheme to get his plan underway.

"What's the name of the restaurant? Maybe I know someone there and can have a few strings pulled for you so that you can get those reservations postponed? It's the least I can do for you."

"Thank you Mamoru – san!" she cried out, her excitement obvious at the prospect of being able to keep the dinner reservations. "It's the Sapori dell'Italia. The reservation is under my name so when you try, that's the name to use."

Her unbridled joy at his suggestion made him sick to the stomach but awoke a once dead feeling, or what he thought was once dead. Here she was fawning over a man that probably wasn't serious about her anyway and was practically acting like a school girl over the chance to keep a silly dinner reservation. But some other part of him felt happy and sad that she was happy; her happiness always resulted in his happiness. This time he wasn't the cause of her happiness and it tore at his heart.

Dispelling that wayward thinking, he brushed it off and quickly contacted the restaurant. He figured Usagi would be unaware that her former friend, Makoto, was the owner of the restaurant so he used it to his advantage.

Introducing himself, he asked to speak to the owner. When she came on the line he explained the situation as it was, and set about making the arrangements without calling her name.

"So you're going to need him to come down and sort it out in person?"

(What are you talking about Mamoru? I never said anything like that. I said it was fine.)

As if driving home the point to her without giving away himself to Usagi, who sat with a hopeful look on her face, he said, "No, no it should be fine. I'm sure they'll understand that he needs to be there to sort it out in person."

Catching his point but not understanding what was going on, she agreed.

"Fine just let me give you his information and you can do whatever it is you have to do." Taking the phone from his ear and covering the mouth piece, he did a scribble sign to indicate to Usagi to give him the name and whatever information he requested.

When all was said and done he looked at her and smiled. "Well I'm sure you heard what I said, so call him and let him know what's the deal so you can have your reservation postponed. Tell him be there for 8:00, and you can thank me later."

"I don't even know how to thank you Mamoru – san! I'll think of some way though. Excuse me let me call Jadeite and tell him the bad and good news and then we can start to prepare for this evening."

He watched as she walked briskly out of his office, closing the door behind her softly. Standing up, he made his way over to the wall of glass which served as a window for his office. The nightmares were still haunting him but he was managing to at least sleep after them. He had made up in his mind that he would go to sleep early so that when the nightmares jolted him from his slumber, he'd still have enough time to catch some form of sleep after he calmed down.

Both hands ran through his black mane as he pressed his forehead against the glass. No matter what he tried his mind kept taking him back to all those years ago when things were different; when she didn't speak to him so informally. At that time he was her life and she was his. Now she was the light in someone else's life and vice versa.

"God get a grip Chiba! I'm here reminiscing like some sort of love sick fool. I do NOT want her now. I didn't regret what happened then and I'm surely not going to start doing it now."

With his mind at ease for the moment, he took out his cell phone and started dialling.

"We're a day later than scheduled but it's no matter. He'll be at Sapori dell'Italia tonight for 8:00. Take it from there." After giving her the name and description of Jadeite, he hung up before a reply could be made and continued to watch the traffic below; a quasi – sadistic smirk stretching across his face.

******

It was time to put the plan into action. She scanned the room and picked out Makoto speaking to a man with blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She had to hand it to Usagi; she knew how to pick some hot men.

Setting out in her mind what she wanted to do and how she would go about it, she made her move towards Jadeite. As quick as lightning she was behind him, pretending to trip and bump into him, dropping her bag in the process. Makoto eyed her strangely, but she glared right back before resuming.

"I'm so sorry I tripped over my own feet!" she exclaimed.

"It's ok." He said as he bent over to pick up her bag. Uncurling himself his eyes trailed up her pale legs, following them upwards to her mini dress made of satin until he finally met her eyes. Dark blue met eyes so dark they seemed to reflect a violet colour in the light.

'Bingo.'

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**yay another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! now the plot thickens!!! the plan has been set in motion...now we can get into the meat of the story...will update before the week ends...I want this story to be better than my first so I'll spend more time writing the chapters trying to make them better so both I and you will be pleased with the end product :)**

**quick note: thanks to all reviewers and readers!! the boyfriend is Jadeite so a shout out to midnight blue08 who chose him (if you don't like him with Usa then blame midnight lol) **

**stay tuned for more....ja ne!!!**


	4. A history lesson of sorts

**oh hai! chapter 4 here :) my weekend is packed from tonight onwards so I wanted to get out this chapter before the week ended as promised...hope you enjoy :)**

**quick note: "" indicates speaking, even if no one else hears; '' indicates thinking; '**_hi I am Natasha'_** indicates your conscience...you know when you get into arguments with that voice in your head**

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"So there we were, outside in the pouring rain with nothing but boxers and socks on, and singing 'I'm a slave for you'. WITH choreography I might add."

The mental image formed made his recount much funnier than normal, as Rei tried her hardest to suppress the urge to laugh out loud and instead laughed demurely in accordance with the standards their surroundings. She also did it knowing that for her plan to succeed she had to appear to be everything Usagi wasn't. 'Which shouldn't be hard at all since I already am.' She said to herself in arrogance. The table, as well as the restaurant, was set up specifically for lovers. Taking advantage of that fact, she continued to set her plan in motion by placing a hand gently on Jadeite's arm as she continued to laugh at his story.

"You definitely sound like you enjoyed your university days." As she said this she withdrew her hand, smiling at him. 'Leave it too long and he'll know you're flirting; pull away too soon he'll think you're scorning him upon recognition of where your hand is; leave it just right and he'll be none the wiser.'

Downing the last set of champagne, she felt it coursing its way through her throat. She hadn't eaten a lot, thinking once again about the image she wanted to portray to the man she was going to steal from Usagi; but she couldn't help herself when it came to the champagne. It was her one weakness, and she drank about half the bottle that had been brought to the table. 'Hopefully he doesn't mind a bit of a drinker.'

Jadeite noted the time, pushed back his chair and made his way over to her. She had already pushed out her own chair but accepted his arm as he held it out for her. Even though it fell into her plan, she knew she needed his arm for her own good, less she stumble around in her semi – drunken state and embarrass herself. 'That's for Usagi to do.'

"Thank you for the lovely evening Jadeite. I still can't help but apologise for how clumsy I was earlier, but at least something good came out of it." she said with a laugh.

"Don't mention it Rei. Besides, your clumsiness saved me from what could have been a very uneventful and boring night."

The pair walked to his car in silence, knowing Rei was in no condition to drive home. Settling into their seats he asked for directions to her house before driving off, so he would have them in case she dropped to sleep during the ride. It was only when they were on their way that his conscience started to scream at him again. For the whole night he had ignored it until it shut up midway through their dinner, but now it was back full force.

'_You're asking for trouble man. There's something wrong here.'_ The voice warned.

Throughout the night however, he searched but could find nothing wrong about her. For all intents and purposes she had been the perfect date tonight. She laughed at his jokes, smiled and talked politely and didn't even hint at flirting with him. Sure she had placed a hand on his arm but it didn't bother him. There was no sensual emotion from the action that he could pick up from her and so he thought nothing of it. That was the reason he didn't find it necessary to reveal he had a girlfriend. It may not have been normal, but there was no point to doing so since she wasn't coming on to him. A friendship – that's all it was to him.

Stopping outside of her house, he gently nudged her in an attempt to wake her. He watched as she slowly became aware of her surroundings before her eyes rested on him.

"Oh we're here already. Thanks and sorry again. Maybe we should make it a habit." She said with a smile.

"Except for the bumping part. I'll be black and blue if that's our traditional meeting ritual." Laughing along with her as he said it; the mirth in her eyes provided evidence for what he tried to convince himself of on the ride here. He got out of the car and walked to her side to open her door. Not wanting to seem too presumptuous he only went halfway up her driveway, as she made her way up to her door, keeping a look out for any danger or anything suspicious.

With one last look she gave a slight nod, signalling that she was alright and appreciated his gentleman like behaviour. Something about him, however, had attracted her; but she didn't quash the feeling. Instead it made her smirk as she stood behind her now locked door. 'Imagine not only breaking them up, but having him to myself at the end of it.' Before now she hadn't even considered the fact that in the course of this act, she might find herself actually liking Jadeite, but now that she realised what sort of man he was it wasn't such an abhorrent idea. There was a part of her that wanted to just flirt with him, get him drunk, have sex with him and then leave. The job would have been done, and knowing Jadeite he would be filled with enough guilt to tell Usagi. After tonight however, she knew she had to play her cards right if she wanted it to be more than just sex: the more it meant to them, the more it would hurt Usagi.

"Come on Rei; let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still a lot of work to do." She reprimanded herself. "You already stole Mamoru from me. Now I'll show you that pay back is a bitch Tsukino Usagi."

Allowing the remaining alcohol in her system to have its way, she changed for bed then fell soundly asleep.

******

Two pairs of heavy eyes stared wearily at the papers scattered across the desk. Another set of coffee would be needed soon if they were to remain on target, and so far they hadn't even began to scratch the surface of what they were to do despite all the work they HAD done. Mamoru had been right when he said it would have been an all – nighter, but this was not what she had envisioned. She could almost see herself having to sleep here if it came to that, and right now it was looking that way.

"Why don't we take a break for an hour?" Mamoru suggested. "I'll go out and get some coffee and a bit of food for us and then we can continue."

"Sure why not. We could definitely use both the break and the food. I'll have whatever you're having so don't worry about it."

Alone in the office after he left, Usagi thought over the evening. Work – wise they were progressing. Slowly, but it was progress nonetheless. If this was the pace they would be going at she could foresee a lot of long nights here in the coming months. And Mamoru had said it would at least take months, which meant they could be doing this for almost a year if they continued on this pace. But another issue crossed was weighing on her mind.

Earlier she had called home for Jadeite; three times. On all three occasions she received no answer and his cell phone was off or out of range. She had thought he would have gotten back by then, and the longer she went without hearing from him, the more her worry turned into fear and doubt. It was silly, she knew, as Jadeite was one of the most upstanding men she knew. But it didn't stop the doubts from creeping in.

Debating with herself whether or not to call again, she sat staring at the phone; the room falling deadly quiet. Anyone walking in on the scene would assume she was crazy. The will to call him and find out what was going on won the battle and she picked up the phone and started dialling. A few rings went by and the feeling of dread came over her, but was soon replaced by relief when she heard a click. Disappointment filtered through her again when she realised what it was.

"Hi, you've reached Usagi and Jadeite's humble abode! We can't...."

Slamming the offending object in frustration, tears almost came to her eyes before a voice jumped her.

"Wow something's got your panties in a bunch."

Snapping her head around she saw Jadeite standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"The security guard on duty let me in if you're wondering how I got in." He said as he started towards her. Unlike the previous night when he came for her, it was still early enough for a few late night workers to be in finishing up any last projects so the guard was still there. "Oh and I come bearing gifts!" Pulling his hands from behind his back he revealed a cup of coffee and a bag containing something which gave of the smell of noodles.

Doubts and fears gone for the moment she rushed over and hugged him. Withdrawing slowly he set aside some of the papers and set the food down. "Care to tell me what the phone did that's bothering you so?" Taking her hand he led her to one of the chairs, sitting first and drawing her onto his lap.

With one hand around her waist she sighed a contented sigh as he nuzzled her neck, while his right hand massaged her thigh softly. "I hadn't heard from you tonight after I assumed you had sorted out the whole reservations stuff. So I was becoming a bit worried that maybe something had happened." She stopped there, refusing to tell him what exactly she thought had happened.

"I'm sorry I didn't know. I just figured since I was already out I'd get dinner one time. I didn't realise my cell was off; it had been that way since I left the meeting at work today and I probably forgot to turn it back on. When I got home and saw you weren't there I went back out to by you some dinner and now here I am."

It wasn't a lie; it was simply not the whole truth. He had lied by omission and his conscience was making that clear. But he knew no woman on the planet would react nicely to hearing that their significant other had dinner with another woman in a romantic restaurant, let alone the very restaurant that you and her were supposed to have YOUR romantic dinner at. Leaving it alone and silencing his conscience with his "logical" reasoning, happy that she didn't ask anything else.

Accepting his answer she ran a slender finger down the side of his cheek and pressed her forehead to his. "That's why I love you." She said before kissing him slowly. He responded to the kiss slowly yet passionately, as he ran his hand up and down her thigh, eliciting a soft moan from her.

Reluctantly he stopped the kiss after a while, placing butterfly kisses on her lips and nose. "I don't think your boss would appreciate it if we went any further than that in his office."

Chuckling to themselves, they were unaware of Mamoru outside. He had heard and seen the whole display. In spite of his anger, he was happy when he heard the omission Jadeite made. It meant that he was afraid to tell Usagi he had been with someone, even if it was just friendly. He wouldn't have known the history between Rei and Usagi, or so Mamoru figured, but he could have still told her. Pocketing the knowledge for further use, he made a mental note to make sure Rei kept at her job. 'This will be interesting.' He thought, before making his presence known.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." Plastering a fake smile on his face, he felt a bit corny from having to act like he was ignorant to what they were doing.

Rising from Jadeite's lap, Usagi straightened her skirt and jacket to make herself presentable. "No, Jad just brought me some dinner as a surprise since I wasn't home when he got there." She said while smiling at Jadeite. "I don't think I've ever introduced the two of you formally, so I'll do it now. Mamoru this is my boyfriend of two years, Jadeite. Jad, this is my boss and acquaintance Mamoru – san."

The way his stomach fell as she introduced them came as a surprise. Well it was mostly due to how she introduced him. Jadeite now had the nickname, while he had an informal name AND was only seen as an acquaintance; an acquaintance because they worked together – it meant she didn't expect or even think about them talking outside of this arena. Fury permeated his being at this and it spurred him on to continue working with Rei. He'd show her how much of an "acquaintance" he was.

"Well now there is food here for three. Care to join us Jad? That's if you don't mind Mamoru – san."

The hopeful look in his eyes made him want to say yes, that he'd mind if "Jad" stayed and ate with them, but his job was done for him when Jadeite replied to her.

"No babe I think I'll pass since I already ate. Plus you two may want to eat and discuss work so I'll leave you two alone. I'll take home what I bought for you and keep in refrigerated; that way you won't have to prepare lunch for tomorrow."

"Oh ok." A bit sad that he wouldn't stay but understanding his reasoning, she gave him a quick kiss and hug before he left. "You can return in about two hours since that's about how long my body is telling me I have before it shuts down."

Mamoru didn't mind that as he himself had been tiring. Hearing the door close with a soft click he turned back to her. "Well shall we get started?"

******

"No it's not true. I'm telling the truth."

Once again her tossing and turning had awoken him, and he found himself wondering what it was that she haunted her dreams so regularly since they had moved her 6 months ago. For another night he could do nothing but hold her until she calmed down. She never said much except that one thing repeatedly, and in the morning he never asked about it since it never appeared to affect her in anyway during the day.

Drawing the still writhing, and now sobbing, Usagi towards his body, he stroked her hair as she continued to cry. Something had happened back then; something had made her move to Osaka seven years ago, but she had never revealed it to him.

He'd met her almost immediately after her move to his city. She had been standing reading some signs and was comparing the signs to whatever was written on the paper in her hand. Knowing then that she was most likely not from Osaka he introduced himself and assisted her. She was a bit wary at first, but he was fine with it since the circumstances warranted it if any person was truly diligent of their surroundings.

Eventually they grew closer as friends with the more time they spent together, until he had revealed his feelings for her, which she returned. That was 3 years after they had met, but they hadn't officially gotten together until 2 years ago. All she had told him was that she wanted to take it slow; she hadn't gotten over the hurt of a previous relationship and was unsure of her readiness to enter one. But she had assured him that her affections lay with him and would remain faithful to them even if they weren't an official item.

Accepting this he waited with her, falling more and more in love with her as the years went on. They had their problems, expectedly; she was a work – a – holic. That was the main problem. It took away from their personal time, especially as she moved up in the company. Working through it however, they maintained a happy and healthy relationship.

Seven months ago her boss had informed her that they'd be merging with another company back in Tokyo. She had been uneasy at first but then she came around and was now doing a great job. He still didn't know why she had reacted that way, but he merely assumed it was because whatever hurt she had experienced in Tokyo came back full force at the thought of having to go back.

It was now 3 am and he came back from his memories. Usagi's crying had stopped and she was now resting comfortably, nestled into his side. They had arrived home after 1 am, and something in him wanted to dwell on her lateness at work. But he quelled it, realising that in these past months she had only worked late 3 times. Yes she worked overtime, but never past 8 pm. He needed sleep and forced his mind to shut down, his last thought about the beautiful siren that occupied his heart.

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**ahh so we're slowly but surely getting the wheels turned on this plot AND I put in some Usagi/Jadeite history...I dropped a hint as to what happened all those years ago that made her run away and I'll drop a few more as I go on :D I hope you enjoyed it!!! **

**and to anyone who may question it: yes the story is going to be Mamoru/Usagi, I just don't want them lovey dovey and running into each other's arms after a few apologies etc...**

**read and review...let me know what you think :) **


	5. Bringing in the big guns

**HOLA!!! I come bearing the gift of a new chapter...I apologise for not updating sooner but as I said my weekend was hectic and I'm trying to make this story better than my first :) so I hope you enjoy!!**

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Time had flown by in the blink of an eye, and in a few days, a week and a half to be exact, she would have been back here for a whole year. Nothing could have prepared her for the day in her boss' office when he told her she would be returning. Fear had gripped her heart instantaneously at the thought, past memories resurfacing that threatened to undermine all the hard work of the strength she had built up over the years she had been gone. And it had almost won out, save for the fact that she mentally coached herself not to fall victim to the aforementioned fear, when she had heard from Motoki and Minako that the others were carrying on their lives as if she had never existed. That alone steeled and readied her for this move, and so far it was successful.

Not knowing what to expect, she walked into Mamoru's office that day cautious but with silent courage. The merging of their companies didn't automatically guarantee her the same job she had, so she reapplied for the position. It didn't make any sense holding a grudge since it would only eat away at her, and it was this reasoning that made her approach Mamoru with the confidence she did on the first day. That, however, didn't mean they'd be best friends. In her mind they would associate as much as necessary for the job, if indeed she got it, and that would be the extent of their relationship. She noticed that he flinched visibly at the informal way in which she addressed him, but she boiled it down to him not being used to it as he recovered and never batted an eye at the informality again.

The move here had turned out to be great for her in retrospect. It was an inward battle she had won, knowing that she could be here and not have any of the old feelings return. In Osaka, she could easily feel like she was over her problems when they weren't staring her in the face and had to be dealt with daily, but here in Tokyo she was bombarded with everything afresh. It was therefore a personal victory to be able to withstand the constant bombardment of her past and still be able to stand strong in the face of it all.

Sitting in the chair in front of her vanity, Usagi looked herself over. The year had far exceeded her expectations and then some. The late hours she was putting in recently were not for nought, as she and Mamoru were progressing at a much quicker rate than when they had started a few months prior. A couple shareholders were still holding out, and given what she knew she couldn't blame them. They all had some sort of emotional tie to the company they had invested in, and didn't want to give it up. Inasmuch as she understood this, it was making the job more tedious than it had to be and it was infringing on her time with Jadeite.

At the thought of him she smiled to herself in the mirror, her mind taking her away from work and towards her boyfriend. He was a wonderful man, and was very dear to her heart. In her hours of need he had been her shoulder to lean on, never once probing into her life before they met but understanding and caring enough to know she had been hurt and needed comfort. His advice hadn't been specific, but the whispered words of support over the years broke through her pain until she slowly allowed herself to feel again.

They moved at a pace that was good enough for her, and for that she was grateful. But as she sat thinking about him now a sudden feeling of sadness sought to claim her. There were still some barriers that she kept in place. She didn't want to be hurt again and as much as she loved Jad, she still didn't trust anyone enough to give herself totally to them. What saddened her most of all was that fact that he didn't know, and wouldn't know this.

Sighing she released her golden locks from their ponytail and allowed them to drop freely to her waist. Picking up a brush she began to detangle any clumped hair in a trance like fashion. "How do I tell him that?" she asked herself, still mulling over her thoughts. "How do I tell him that the man I work for and alongside is the one responsible for the heartache and pain I felt for all those years? How do I tell him that once the heart is broken it becomes like glass: you can put it back together but the cracks will always be visible?"

Placing the brush back in its position she continued with her nightly routine, applying face moisturiser and body cream before taking off her robe. Under the robe she wore lace boy shorts, with the black colour providing a nice contrast to her skin. A matching camisole covered the top of her body hugging her small waist, like the arms of a lover.

Reaching the bed Usagi stopped as the phone on the nightstand rang. Thinking it was the man she seemed to be focused on she answered hastily and easily.

"Hey." She said; her voice coming out a bit too sultry.

On the other end the person almost melted at the sound, but figured she had been expecting someone else.

"Hi Usagi." And with that he could almost picture her whole demeanour changing as she recognised who it was. 'Don't worry; you won't have a reason to answer the phone like that anymore if I have my way.' He thought with a grin plastered across his face. "I know it's probably not the time you want to think of work but this is just a little reminder about our trip to Kyoto next week to meet with some executives. I figured you would have probably talked to Jadeite about it already so I wanted to know if he's going to be coming with you so I can make arrangements for three."

For his part Mamoru already knew what her answer would be, but he had to hear her confirm it.

"Sorry Mamoru – san, Jad hasn't come home yet. He's still at work but we'll discuss it either tonight or tomorrow before I come in and I'll have an answer for you."

All he could do was laugh to himself. "Ok that's no problem. Enjoy your night."

"Same to you Mamoru."

******

"Still at work, eh? She must really trust him to believe that crock." Laughing out loud this time he was amazed at how easily his plan was coming along, albeit slowly. He couldn't really complain though; if Rei moved any faster than she currently was then Jadeite would definitely pick up that something was going on, and he couldn't risk that and have him withdraw.

With that in mind however, he still couldn't fathom why Jadeite wouldn't at least tell Usagi that he was going out with a friend, even if that friend was a female. Rei had called him earlier and informed him that she and Jadeite had planned to meet this evening for dinner and judging from what Rei told him, he was still unaware of her whole past here in Tokyo and therefore didn't know that Usagi knew Rei or him for that matter.

It tore at him somewhat each time he thought about the fact that Usagi hadn't deemed them, even him, especially him, worthy enough to be mentioned to her new beau. But each time like an ant caught running to the sugar bowl, he let it run its course before smacking it. What this had done was allow him and Rei to play more freely with Jadeite, meaning they could throw more caution to the wind. He then always came to the conclusion that it was a good thing she hadn't told 'Jad' about them, and it would make it even sweeter since he planned at the end of it all to reveal who they were and Jadeite's lies would be icing on the cake.

Somewhere inside his heart was mourning for the inevitable hurt he knew she would experience once he was finished and it made him falter just a moment. "Motoki will be there for her when it's all over." And somehow that thought made him feel even worse than the thought of her with Jadeite.

"What the hell is wrong with me? Shit man! I don't even like the girl so what's wrong with her getting a little comfort from Motoki?"

His mind became a jumbled mess which made him take a trip to his safe haven: the balcony. He didn't even wait a second before he sat on the cold cement and just stared at the sliding glass doors.

This was becoming a ritual that he performed at any time of the day, even leaving work if need be. "You're better than this Mamoru. You're being eaten up over a girl who doesn't even like you and vice versa. Get the hell over it!"

It got increasingly harder to convince himself of his lack of desire for her, however, as each day he spent in her presence had him noticing every minute detail about her beauty that he had to fight to ignore. He even wondered about his sanity when he chose to keep her at work for those long hours so that Rei could take her shot at Jadeite.

"Maybe that's all it is. I'm a horny bastard who hasn't gotten laid in forever, she's a beautiful woman; it's natural."

Strangely that seemed to relax him more than anything had over the past year. But then the next problem came: how in the world was he going to release his "tension" since he couldn't, no, wouldn't touch the woman his body was desiring at the moment. He wasn't the type of individual to have sex with random women, and he was not even entertaining the thought of having sex with any of his female friends: that brought too many complications.

Immediately his thoughts flew back to Rei. She wanted him. She had wanted him before he was with Usagi. His skin crawled at the shameless way she threw herself at him. She purposely tried to tempt and seduce him even when he was with Usagi without a care. It was the sole reason he could never find her attractive. Physically no man with eyes could deny she was a beauty, but it was dulled extensively by her brash approach with men; at least for him. He'd have to be pissing drunk and on the brink of death to even consider being in anything remotely intimate with her.

"Well I can't totally write her off. If she wasn't the bitch she is then I'd probably have to do this whole thing myself." He said, watching as a leaf blew from a random tree across the street and onto his patio. A terrible thing to say he knew, but that didn't stop it from being true. He couldn't blame her – all humans were rational and thought only of themselves before thinking of others. But Rei took it to an extreme, and THAT was her fault.

She was not overtly cruel and inconsiderate. In fact any stranger looking in on their group as it was years before would have thought her to be Usagi's equivalent. Her cruelty came in a passive aggressive nature that stung worse than the tentacles of a Portuguese man – o' – war, and much like said animal, there was no rhyme or reason to her stinging. Whomever was in the path of the tentacles, they stung.

Looking back on it, that was probably why he had been so attracted to Usagi. She was the polar opposite to Rei. While she was genuinely nice, it didn't prevent her from having a sarcastic side. But with Usagi everyone understood that her sarcasm and wit was playful and was in no way meant to hurt anyone. She even apologised to Motoki once when he had been slightly offended by one of her comments said in jest.

This led him down a road of which, for some unknown reason, only highlighted all the good qualities about Usagi. His mind was trying to show him what an idiot he was for ending a relationship with a girl he loved.

"No!" he exclaimed; his body going rigid and erect. "She was no better than Rei, damn it!"

And even as he said so he wasn't convinced of his own words. No. Usagi was nothing like Rei, but that didn't mean she didn't was any good either. She was the one at fault back then and he had done the right thing by ending the relationship.

In no time at all the inner wall that his subconscious was slowly trying to destroy had flung itself back up. He would not be deceived again. If his subconscious could sigh it probably did, for Mamoru was now more determined to end the farce of a relationship his ex was now in. And he didn't feel sorry for doing it.

Rising off the floor he settled within himself to continue working with Rei until Usagi's world came crumbling down around her.

******

The television cast an eerie glow on the occupant of the bed. At one point she was watching it, but that had given way to worry and anger when once again she couldn't get a hold of Jadeite either at the office or on his cell. More and more she coaxed herself into believing that he wasn't the cheating type, but the past few months were suggesting otherwise.

The nights she worked late he would never be home, and she could never contact him; when he worked late it was the same thing. She was beginning to wonder what was going on. Why was his phone never on, why was he never at home those nights, and why wouldn't he answer his line at work?

The doorbell rang and snapped her out of her trance. 'Who could that be at this time?'

Granted it was still around barely after 8, but with an early night tonight she had figured she would be free to relax tonight for a change and had planned to recline in bed for the rest of the night until Jadeite came home.

Putting her eye to the peep hole, she recognised who it was and was a bit shocked yet elated. Opening the door quickly she launched herself into the arms of the person on her porch.

"Kunz!"

Wasting little time he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "You better watch it Usa or that man of yours might get the wrong idea."

The comment hit a nerve but her recovery was almost immediate and left no trace of it for Kunzite to read. She knew he didn't mean anything by it and it would be silly of her to get offended over it.

"Whatever Kunz. What's brought you here this time of night? And why don't you come bearing a gift? Namely, Jadeite."

"Why would I be with Jadeite?" he asked quite surprised.

Suddenly she didn't trust that voice that told her about how great of a man Jadeite was. His shock was quite clear and there was no way he could feign the question in his eyes that well. But she dared to continue on.

"Well he said he would be working late tonight so I figured as his boss you would be too."

Now Kunzite was definitely in shock. Jadeite was definitely not working late tonight; in fact he hardly ever worked late unless it was absolutely necessary. Reading her expression however, he kept that to himself. 'Why would he be lying to Usa?'

A rush of anger surged through his body but now was the time to reassure Usagi before he said anything else. Insecurity was written all over her face and it made him even angrier. He hadn't seen that emotion on her face since the days when she and Mamoru started having problems. He had vowed then to never have a single soul put that emotion back there, even one of his closest friends. Jadeite would be dealt with tomorrow but right now he focused on Usagi.

"Oh I left way before him so he's probably still there. My brain had been in overdrive for a few days too long so I guess it finally caved in. I couldn't even add 1 + 1 without a calculator believe it or not. In all my random driving around to clear my head I guess I ended up on your doorstep."

"Ok. But why isn't he answering his phone? Even his cell is off." These few questions she asked because the answers could potentially put her mind at ease; at least for the time being.

Suppressing a growl, he calmed himself before answering. Jadeite would be minced meat tomorrow morning if he didn't have a good answer for his apparent deception.

"Well he took up some of my work to do so he's probably just drowning in it like I was. If he's anything like me, he won't hear his phone ring and he's turned off the cell to avoid being interrupted, while forgetting that you may be trying to get through. I can't tell you how often I have gotten into trouble with Nano – chan for that." What he said was true. Well the part about him doing that and getting into trouble and the part about him doing too much work and Jadeite taking up some of it; but he was quite sure that's NOT what Jadeite was doing right now.

Laughing, she realised that what he said was plausible and the most likely scenario. "I guess I'll have to help him relax after all that hard work when he gets home later."

"Gross Usa, I didn't need to know that. Thank you for that utterly disgusting image you have placed in my head."

"You are most welcome Kunz. Now come inside off the porch. This robe isn't protecting from this biting night wind."

Grabbing his arm she gently pulled him inside. Truthfully he was letting her pull him inside. Taking a seat next to each other on the couch they began to catch up on the happenings in each others' lives. Needless to say, Kunzite still was not pleased with the idea of her working with Mamoru. He was associated with such a sad chapter in her life but for all intents and purposes she was willing to forgive and forget and he had to try for her sake.

"You know you're going to have to tell him at some point Usa."

"I know Kunz. But where do I start? The more I think back on that time of my life and keep it from Jad the sadder I become."

Somewhere during their talking they had moved into a more intimate position: her head was on his lap as she curled into a foetal position, while he stroked her hair. One might mistake them for lovers, but such was the nature of their friendship. Theirs was a close friendship based on a love and trust that had been built up over the years together. They were now so comfortable with each other that such positions were never misconstrued by either; they even engaged in meaningless flirting. At one point Kunzite's fiancée, Nanako, had threatened to leave him because she didn't believe they could be so close without there being more to their relationship. It had taken a lot of convincing on both their parts, but now even she was comfortable, and had she walked in on the scene as it was, she'd sit in another seat without a bat of an eyelid. The same thing had to be done with Jadeite.

"He'll be fine Usa. He'll be angry at first, since he knew how much this affected you when you first met but it will be more concern than anger. Jad loves you Usa and you know if he had known about Mamoru he would have objected to this."

"I know Kunz, I know. In a way I feel like I've been cheating on him. I'm withholding this information from him, and working with the same man who caused all my pain. Now I can't even give myself totally to him due to that same man when Jad loves me unconditionally."

Tears were slowly making their journey down her face. Taking his thumb he wiped them away, leaned over a placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Why don't you go to bed and we'll finish this conversation later. With the amount of work you said you have been doing these past months a good rest is what you need." Still stroking her cheek he continued. "Come on up with you. We'll get together for lunch this Friday."

He lifted her and carried her as far as the stairs. "Well this is as far as I carry your fat ass Usa. Get moving."

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed and continued up the stairs in mock anger. "Some gentleman you are. I wonder how Nano – chan puts up with your obvious – lack – of – class ass."

When he was sure Usagi had fallen to sleep he exited the house, locking the door using his spare key. Now his thoughts went lethal as the name of one man went through his mind: Jadeite.

"That asshole will have a lot of explaining to do."

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**o0o0o0o the introduction of bad ass Kunzite! His part in the story will unfold just like everything else :) I hope you enjoyed it!!!! **

**quick note: 1. I know some people don't think men and women can be really good friends without it becoming sexual, even if it's only once. I don't subscribe to that position so don't flame me for portraying Kunzite/Usagi's friendship in this light**

**2. yes I stated that Kunzite has a spare key to the house, so why did he ring the doorbell? While he may have a spare key it's still considered sort of rude to use the spare key without permission/notifying the owner you're going to use the key unless it's a case of emergency. At least that's what I do. **

**3. Rei's character is not cast in a nice manner because I don't think she is lol....my story so I can do what I want :p but seriously, with how she insults Usagi throughout I couldn't imagine myself being insulted like that and the person being my friend. So I portray her as she appears to me.**

**anyways...I'll be continuing with the story before the week ends :) I dropped another hint as to what happened before and I'll soon unveil what it was that happened....ja ne!! thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	6. Outside of the loop

**Oh Hai!!!! sorry for the late update!!! H-E-C-T-I-C week and weekend!! but as usual I come with the gift of another chapter :) I hope you all enjoy it :) here goes**

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Maybe it was the coffee; that had to be it. At least that what he wanted it to be. He was on edge for the past two weeks and no matter what he told himself, deep down he knew the reason why. Since that morning, he had been awaiting some sort of confrontation with Kunzite.

The last night he had gone out with Rei, when she had called him up last minute saying she was bored and just wanted to get out of the house, he had an unexpected visitor while he was away. There was never a problem with Kunzite visiting unannounced, but on that particular occasion he wished he hadn't. When he got home Usagi was already tucked away safely in bed and again he had felt a weight lifted slightly off his shoulders. It wasn't that he like lying to Usagi about Rei, but something told him that she just wouldn't understand and wouldn't be too happy. He wasn't cheating on her; far from it. Female friends weren't an extinct species in his life. Something about this particular friendship however, was unsettling him when it came to telling Usagi about it, especially since he had started off telling her a lie.

Having gone to bed a happy man, Jadeite awoke the next morning to find Usagi had been up already preparing breakfast and their lunches. The past night and uneasiness forgotten he had sat on a bar stool at the corner of the counter with Usagi sitting adjacent to him. The usual morning talk flowed easily from their lips and everything was going smoothly until she dropped a bombshell. Well it wasn't one to her but to him his insides quaked as the words and their meaning registered with him.

She had quite happily informed him that Kunzite had dropped by while he was out and explained why he was "at work" and not answering the phone. She had even commended him for his selfless actions in taking up some of Kunzite's work to ease his burden. There wasn't a thing in the world that would have been able to prepare Jadeite for the revelation and he had to try his best to hide the obvious tension he was feeling.

That morning he came into the office expecting a barrage of questions and insults as soon as set foot through the door but it never came. The waiting had his nerves on the fritz, so much so that every time there was a knock on his door he immediately took a defensive position. Deciding that a quick break was in order he neatly put away his papers, stacking them in a pile at the top corner of his desk, while the pens took up residence in one of his drawers. Taking a much needed deep breath to start the calming process, he placed his head on the desk and closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out everything.

"I guess I should take comfort in the fact that he hasn't said anything to Usa yet. She would have probably left by now if he had so that's a good thing." Jadeite said with his head still down.

"No it's actually not a good thing."

At the sound of Kunzite's quiet but menacing voice Jadeite his whole body tensed. His eyes shot open as his pupils dilated to take in as much light as his surroundings provided. Pink lungs in his chest seemed to go against the laws of nature, refusing to expand and contract enough to provide the rest of his body with oxygen. A red heart pumped at five times its normal speed, trying to compensate for its teammate to get what little oxygenated blood there was around as quickly as possible. His breath came in short gasps as the anticipated showdown was finally here. Fright or flight mode – he wasn't accustomed to it, but he knew enough about it to know that's what was happening. No matter how much he had been expecting it, Kunzite's appearance here at this moment was still a surprise.

Slowly he held his head up, fear still having a firm hold on his being. He looked Kunzite squarely in the eyes; there was no way to escape. The absolute malice he found in the blue orbs swirled wildly, indicating the amount of willpower it was taking for Kunzite to rein in his emotions and not pummel him to a pulp.

"You've got two minutes to explain yourself to me Masters. Two minutes. Then I'll decide if to kill you slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. Don't even attempt to feign innocence or I won't hesitate to rip your balls out first. Go."

Sitting back in his black leather chair Jadeite stared at the picture of Usagi which was ever present on his desk.

"I guess it started the night me and Usa were supposed to go out to dinner at one of the best restaurants around here: Sapori dell'Italia."

At the mention of the name Kunzite's eyes widened, but he stayed mute so that Jadeite could continue.

"Her boss Mamoru only told her that day she would have to work late on some project the company was undertaking so our plans had to be postponed. Luckily he was nice enough to call up the owner, who he knew, and ask for another set of reservations for us due to the sudden inconvenience. The owner said that all I had to do was come down and sort out a few things in person so she'd know who I was and stuff like that. While I was there this woman bumped into me and we ended up having dinner together.

I know, I know, that's a fancy, romantic restaurant but I honestly didn't get any vibe from her that she was trying for anything more than the situation as it presented itself that night. I took her home since she had a bit to drink and even then she didn't try anything. We're friends. That's it. We've gone out some more but it's been nothing but friendly Kunzite I swear to you. I just....I just don't think Usa would have been too understanding about me spending what was supposed to be our night in the same restaurant with any woman, friendly or not."

"Why didn't you let Usa determine what she would be fine with and conversely, what she wouldn't be fine with? She's a grown woman, and you're supposed to be a grown man who loves her. You're being a total douche bag by not telling the one you claim to love about a relationship you have with another female, especially when you say it's only friendly. Has she ever objected to any of your female friends? Had she ever stopped you from seeing them socially even when she's not there?"

Seeing Jadeite open his mouth to answer, he raised his hand and shook his head.

"The answer is no. There are women in your life who have the worst of intentions as it pertains to your relationship with Usa, and while she may voice concern when she is uncomfortable, never once has she taken to dictating to you who you can and cannot talk to when it comes to the fairer sex. She trusts you Masters. She trusts you because you have never given her a reason to doubt you. Why would you want to ruin that now?" At this point Kunzite was pissed. The more he thought about his friend's lying ways, the angrier he became. With all his might, however, he took control over the war raging within and listened to what was being said.

"I know. Don't you think I know that Kunzite! But....shit! Rei is just a good person. We sit and talk over coffee or dinner sometimes and...."

Before Jadeite could continue Kunzite had already barged over to his chair and was now grasping the man by the collar.

"What was her name? Repeat it. I think you misspoke. What's her full name?"

"Hino Rei."

Releasing him but not moving away, Kunzite stood ominously over the confused and scared Jadeite. "Listen to me and listen to me good. You will NOT see her anymore. You WILL tell Usa the truth but you will give her the name Sonoko. That's who you were seeing. Got it?"

"What the hell do you know about her that you aren't telling me?"

"I don't have to tell you jack shit Jadeite. Just do what I tell you or else."

"No I won't be ordered around by you unless you tell me what the hell is going on here. What do you know? If you don't tell me then stay the hell out of my relationship."

Both men were now standing toe – to – toe, face – to – face. Angry breaths were the only thing to be heard in the otherwise silent office. Neither was willing to back down. A friendship that spanned almost two decades was on the brink of extinction.

Kunzite sneered at his opponent, no longer considering him a friend with his refusal to stop seeing another woman behind Usagi's back. "Just remember: I promised her long ago that I'd protect her from anyone and if that includes you then so be it. I won't hesitate to tear you limb from limb if she ever comes crying to me over something you did. Consider our friendship done. Stay out of my way in here unless it's necessary. I don't even want to breathe the same air as you."

With a swift turn Kunzite walked towards the exit. His hand on the door knob he started. "One final thing." He said without looking back. "You've got a week to sever all ties with your whore and tell Usa, or else I'll tell her for you."

He didn't slam the door, not wanting to alert anyone nearby to the happenings in the room just moments ago. The adrenaline that had coursed its way through Jadeite's body was wearing off, leaving him depleted like an addict without his fix. Only then did the events filter clearly through his mind. He reached for the picture of Usagi, and ran a shaky finger over her face, outlining her fine features as if to burn them into memory.

Somehow he had to muster up the courage to come clean with Usagi. He couldn't believe that he'd let such a great friendship with Kunzite go down the drain over a woman he felt nothing for. His friend was seething now and the only way to recover what they once had would be to do as he said.

"But what's wrong with Rei. He was angry before at the thought of another woman, but he became almost murderous when I mentioned her. He doesn't even want me to...."

Then it dawned on him. "Rei has something to do with Usa's past." This startling bit of information was enough to make him reconsider his actions. Sure there were other people involved in Usagi's past, but the reaction Kunzite had to her name alone meant she was associated with the hurt that came with whatever took place here years ago. He'd do what Kunzite asked and simply admit he was having dinner with a friend Sonoko, but didn't tell her because he didn't know if she'd be upset or not. Of course he'd edit it; if Usagi knew he was out all those nights with another woman she wouldn't be as willing to forgive as if it had been one or two nights.

"I'll tell her we did lunch a couple times. The first time was coincidence and the other two times we were catching up."

That was a story Usagi would believe and accept without feeling much betrayal, and it'd be somewhat true. 'Well about a 1% of it.'

"I'll have to tell Rei something though. She can't find out about Usagi or else she may tell her what's been going on out of spite." He'd call her and tell her work was becoming a bit too demanding, making him too busy to hang out for a while, and then he'd drop the cliché line: don't call me; I'll call you. "Well not in that exact way, but it has to be easy and friendly so she doesn't feel like I'm ending it; whatever 'it' is."

His mind was still unsettled, and knowing within himself that he wasn't going to get anymore work done for the day, he went home.

******

The slight breeze caressed the skin of the woman who walked briskly towards her destination. Blonde hair whipped back like a cape, as the breeze and pace of her walking joined forces. The image it created along with her strut was that of a model on the catwalk, leaving onlookers shocked at her beauty as said "model" appeared to be oblivious to them all. Pushing the door open, bells chimed to announce her entrance. Walking up to the counter she smiled and waved to the man standing serving a customer. As she got closer, an all too familiar stood out. The brown hair, the strong frame, heavily beach tanned skin and a commanding stance could only belong to one person in this area. On queue the person swung around on the bar stool and their eyes clashed. Both persons seemed stuck in time as they observed the other.

'Be cool Usa. You've handled working with Mamoru all this time quite easily, this is a piece of cake.' Self coaching completed, she completed her journey to the counter and sat two seats down from the other individual. She wasn't going to be initiating any conversation however, but she wouldn't be rude and ignore her if one did start.

"Long time no see Usa...gi." the person started.

"Likewise Kino – san."

"How have you been?" she asked; her voice unable to hide the underlying hurt that came from how she had been addressed.

"I've been great. The years have done me justice." She replied. "And you?"

"Same here. I started my own restaurant and it's been a huge success."

"Oh really? What's it called? Maybe I'll come visit sometime."

The easy questions and responses had them falling into an old routine. Upon hearing the name she smiled with genuine happiness for her former friend.

"I'm glad everything is going well for you Kino – san. I had reservations there a while ago and almost had to cancel due to work. Now that I know you're the owner I guess that's why Mamoru was able to get us another date. So I must say thank you."

"It's no problem Usagi. I must admit I didn't put two and two together when I was given the name but once I knew it was you then there wasn't an issue. I must say though, your boyfriend is quite the looker." She finished with a wink.

She couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled within her and it came out joyously; a pleasing sound to her companion, whom it reminded of days gone by. "Yea I guess he is."

The pair continued conversing, never once treading on the topic which plagued both of their minds. Usagi had ordered and been served somewhere in between and as she finished, she gave her salutations and headed back to work.

As Makoto stayed in her position, her heart was exuberant. She didn't like being addressed as Kino – san, but at least Usagi had talked to her; something she never thought possible. She replayed it in her head, savouring the moment before she went back into the fast paced restaurant she owned. Then something hit her.

Mamoru had insisted that Jadeite needed to come to the restaurant to sort out the reservation, which they both knew wasn't necessary. What had bothered her that night was seeing Rei. She assumed she had come earlier and her date had left, so Makoto hadn't thought anything of it. Now Mamoru's insistence had bells ringing in her mind once more. Was there more to it? Surely he wouldn't know that Rei would have been there. She wouldn't it put it pass Rei to try putting the moves on Jadeite, but she doubted that either of them knew who Jadeite was to Usagi so she dismissed her wayward thoughts.

'There's no way. There's just no way.'

"Don't make this an every day occurrence Kino. You're still not welcomed here after what you did to Usa."

Motoki's voice drew her out of her revere; his face showing his obvious displeasure at having her there. "Sorry Motoki, this was just more of convenience trying to get away from work and I guess my feet automatically led me here."

When he said nothing in response apart from a raised eyebrow, she sighed and made her leave. She was sorry for everything that had happened and would have given anything to take it back. When the truth had surfaced there were many nights she slept restlessly as the guilt ate away at her conscience. Another chance had now presented itself to her and there would be no letting it go. Usagi had at least offered crack, and she was going to use it to her advantage no matter how long it took.

******

"Jad I'm home."

Locking the door behind her, she heard the footsteps of her boyfriend coming down the stairs to greet her. Embracing her, he held her in his arms for a brief moment as he buried his nose in her hair.

'Lavender and vanilla. Just what I love.'

Slowly he released her but brought his hands to cup her face, drawing her into a kiss. It started as a peck on the lips and escalated as he enjoyed the feel of her soft, plump lips on his own. He gently sucked on her lower lip, before running the tip of his tongue teasingly across the lip begging for entrance. As she obliged his tongue darted into her mouth, their tongues gliding over the other, in a battle only lovers know. Soon he had her lifted, legs wrapped around his waist, carrying her up the stairs to their bedroom. A small growl rumbled in the back of his throat as she pulled away from the kiss, threw back her head to expose her neck. Wasting no time he sat on the bed and enjoyed the sweet taste of her skin as she straddled him, with her soft moans and the way she arched into him egging him on.

As much as her body ached for release, she wasn't fully prepared to take the next step with Jadeite. And it was the reason why she had to stop now before it went any further. She wouldn't regret it like how people regret one night stands, but she knew deep down she wouldn't be satisfied. Unfortunately only one man held that key, and until he gave it up she'd be forever stuck with the frustration from the lack of a sex life.

That was one of the reasons she came home early tonight. She wanted to talk to him and there'd be none of that if this continued. It was hard however to stop when her body was on fire with the way Jadeite's hands were roaming. Gathering her wits, she brought down her head so that their faces would be together. He stopped kissing her neck, moving back up to her lips as they finished their ministrations.

"You're lucky I love you." He said cheekily, planting one final kiss on her mouth. "Or else I'd try harder to get you into my bed."

"But you already get me in your bed Jad. What more could you possibly mean?" she asked in mock ignorance. "In all seriousness, I came home to talk to you and THIS was not helping."

Now he was scared, and she felt his body stiffen the wrong way beneath hers. "Talk about what babe?"

"Well," she started, maintaining her position on him, "I felt it was time you knew what happened all those years ago."

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**well????? what do you think??? Hot little scene with Jadeite and Usagi, but it will forever seem wrong to have her go all the way with anyone else in a story dedicated to her and Mamoru...I introduced Makoto so only Ami remains to be seen. And yes...I will finally reveal what happened! (can't guarantee it will be the next chapter though :p) and I do so love Kunzite as a bad ass lol**

**quick note: don't ask....yes the story will be Mamoru/Usagi :) as I said, my idea was that they DON'T go chasing after each other once Usagi returns, fall happily in love again, forgive so easily etc...Usagi has forgiven but it doesn't mean she willingly walks right back into their arms like nothing happened.**

**anywho....I do hope you enjoyed it!!! R&R and as always any advice given will be accepted once you aren't rude! **


	7. He did what now?

**here it is....you'll have to read to know what I mean :) hehehehe....enjoy it!! Bold in here signifies a flashback segment since that specific part was better to tell from that perspective....just so you don't get confused :)**

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"He is your what? Tell me you just didn't say that Usagi."

"Will you be quiet and let me continue Jadeite?"

"I'm sorry Usa." He replied a bit more calmly. "It's just that I remember when you first came out to Osaka. You were in so broken emotionally, though you have grown right before my eyes. You were always beautiful but the confidence and pride you stand with today make you even more beautiful, which I had never thought possible."

"I'm sorry too. I should have told you when I found out that it was his company we were merging with and that I could and would have been working for."

"Yea a little heads up wouldn't have hurt. But that's in the past; there's nothing we can change about it now and so far our work and life here has been great."

"I guess so." She said with a slight chuckle. "When I left here I never envisioned myself coming back, let alone working with and for the man responsible for driving me away. It's amazing really. I even saw one of my old friends, Kino Makoto. We talked for a bit like nothing had ever happened between us. Found out that she owns the restaurant we have those reservations for, so if you were dealing with a brown haired woman that night then it congratulations on meeting a former friend."

As he took in the new information she offered his mind became a jumbled mess, with everything leading back to one scary thought: 'If Kino – san and Usa are...were friends, then they were both probably friends with Rei, judging by Kunzite's reaction, as well. Did she tell Usa about him having dinner with Rei that same night thinking that I already told her? Would she tell Usa?"

The disturbing thought cause him to tense visibly and Usagi noticed it straight away.

"What's wrong Jad? Was it something I said?"

The obvious answer was yes, but he decided to play it cool. "No babe, I just remembered something I didn't finish at work today and it was really important. Don't worry about it I'll do it tomorrow as soon as I get in. Continue with what you were telling me." It took all his strength to muster up a bright enough smile to placate her but he succeeded and she took that as a sign that he was alright.

"I don't really know where to start with this so I'll just start from the very beginning." Still straddling him, she unlocked her hands from around his neck and let them fall slowly down to his chest, taking in a deep breath as she readied herself to open back up all the old wounds.

His strong hands were positioned on her waist, using a thumb to soothingly rub the skin under her shirt. "Just take your time. I'll wait all night if I have to."

Eyes closed she started. "Motoki and I grew up together so we were always close. Therefore it was no surprise to find me in the arcade his family owned whenever I was free from school etc. My parents and I weren't that close; they liked travelling a lot and even though they loved me because I am their child, I knew somehow that they always regretted having me as it didn't really give them in choice in settling. When I was about 14 they wanted to get back out and see the world. They asked me if I wanted to go with them, probably just being polite, but I turned it down. I couldn't imagine myself country hopping especially when I had made so many memories and friends here over the years. My parents were already packed and ready to leave, which didn't surprise me, and with me being a minor I had to stay under adult supervision until at least 16. Motoki's parents were happy to have me, but at the same time they knew it would have been hard adjusting to living with them immediately; so they decided that Motoki and I could spend two weeks at my house, and the next two weeks we'd spend at their house.

After the first year we started to stay at my home longer and longer without returning to his. His parents didn't mind and soon we were there permanently. I couldn't touch my trust fund until I was 18 so Motoki and his parents helped take care of some of the bills, but I felt a bit useless and started working in the arcade as a way to repay them. We worked out a system where I was paid the remnant of the bill total. Everything was going swimmingly: we were both doing well in school since he could help me study and being that he was in college, my assistance at the arcade meant that he had a bit more time to study."

During their talk, Usagi had moved as close as their bodies allowed, and placed her head into the crook of his neck while he stroked her back in a baby like manner.

"As it relates to my friendship with the girls, Minako was my friend through Motoki for obvious reasons. Even though we went to the same school, they had met elsewhere and so that's how we became friends. At first it was always just the three of us, but then some others came along: Makoto, who I already told you about, Mizuno Ami, and last but not least Hino Rei."

The way she snarled the last name left no doubt in Jadeite's mind that Usagi hated Rei. It also made him understand fully why Kunzite almost killed him. 'This means I definitely won't be telling her anything about me and Rei.'

Getting off him in a less than lady like manner, she began to pace the room neurotically.

"Around the same time I met Motoki's best friend Mamoru. He had been in Europe for most of his teenage years, and when he gained majority status he moved back to Tokyo to study while his parents stayed. We weren't the best of friends when we first met, but neither were we sworn enemies. Let's say we were indifferent about each other.

One evening Motoki had a late exam so the care of the arcade was entrusted to me. I hadn't been having a particularly amusing day so needless to say I was in a sour mood, which was not helped in any way by a seemingly overcrowded arcade of screaming teenagers. Mamoru took pity on me I think and helped out; and I guess that's how we first started talking. Sure Mamoru and I were part of the same group of friends, but it's always different when you talk to someone outside of the normal group setting.

That night as we stayed and cleaned up we really got to know each other and realised we had a lot of differences: I like vanilla, he likes chocolate; I can't work in silence, he hates noise. At the time we thought it was endearing and cute so as time went on we continued meeting and talking separate from the group and finally decided to give us a shot. I was 15 and he was 18; I was ready to leave high school and he was ready for university life. For me, things couldn't have been any better. I had a loving family, and a great boyfriend and friends who I thought loved me."

Stopping her frantic pacing, she stood in from of her vanity, looking Jadeite dead in the eyes through the mirror.

"But then it all changed." Hands on the surface, she hung her head as she tried to hold back the onslaught of tears. "I thought I was over this shit." She whispered to herself.

Jadeite had heard it however, and was moving towards her; but she put out her hand behind her. "No Jad. I need to do this. Please...please don't come any closer."

"But Usa..."

"No Jad. Please just listen."

Sighing in defeat he sat on the bed and complied with her wishes. This was the image of the woman whom he met in Osaka all those years ago, and if this was what rehashing the memories was doing to her, he'd rather not know. But she was determined to tell him now and so he left her, knowing that this time, at the end of it all, he would be there to hold her.

"It was an oversight on our part, but we never explained our situation to anyone, you know, at home. They all knew I was staying with Motoki and because we grew up together they accepted it. What they didn't accept was my closeness to Kunzite. One would think that if they understood why I was so close to Motoki, they'd understand that I'd be as close to his cousin Kunzite since he had spent the better part of his child hood here. You don't need me to tell you that Kunzite moved back to Osaka for college and university since you two were over there together; but once he came back it was like he had never left."

Turning around wildly Jadeite noticed that the tears were gone, and a deadly anger now shone in her eyes.

"That bastard should have trusted me." Breathing heavily she started pacing the room again, gesticulating as she carried on. "At the time Kunz hadn't been in anything serious with Nano - chan so he moved in with me and Motoki until he got on his feet financially. With Mamoru and Motoki so wrapped up in school, I spent most of my time with Kunz and we'd act just like how you see us acting now: always huddled together, I'd sit on his lap etc.

Rei used this to her advantage however, and began dropping little comments which Mamoru started to pick up on. I knew what she was trying to do but Mamoru didn't see it that way. Soon we started fighting over those little differences that he once thought were cute. Kunz likes vanilla, I like vanilla and he'd use that to start a fight. We took a week apart; well I took a week off from seeing him, and I guess Rei used that time to start planting more seeds of doubt in his mind.

To make a long story short, our relationship became a bit strained but being me I had refused to give up over something so trivial. In hindsight I should have given up since he could take offense over something so trivial. Anyways, we were starting to work things out gradually. But in typical cliché fashion, one moment had it thrown all down the drain. The stress of school, exams, working at the arcade and trying to make a relationship work, was beginning to wear me down."

She paused there, having to sit as the memory weighed heavily on her again. She fingered her reflection slowly and carefully, taking in every detail about herself as she spoke.

"I knew I wasn't ready for our relationship to take a sexual path. Mamoru said he understood, but it hadn't stopped us from, you know, doing other things." A blush didn't even appear at the revelation. Usagi was almost hypnotically caught up in her own reflection.

"Time was going by and I still hadn't heard back from Tokyo Community College about doing my associate degree in Business, and it was depressing me. I was alone at the arcade that evening when Kunz stopped by after work, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I broke down crying and just told him everything. Thankfully the crowd was light so it allowed me some time to wallow in my misery.

Being the idiot he is," she smiled at this particular memory, "he decided to 'propose' to me in front of everyone. He took the butterfly ring that I usually wore on my middle finger, got down on one knee and announced his eternal love and devotion. I think the people knew it was a joke once they saw him using my own ring and his poor acting. So I got in on the act, took some water and sprinkled a few drops on my face to make it seem like I was crying. Then he asked me to marry him....."

"**Tsukino Usagi, will you do me the honour of being my wife?"**

**Loud cheers could be heard erupting from the small group of people who were still in the arcade. She looked around laughing at the whole scene.**

"**I don't know he's a pretty horrible man to live with my whole life. What should I say?"**

"**Say yes!" the crowd responded. **

"**Ok then, yes. I will."**

**As soon as the people started to cheer, the bells rang alerting them all to the entrance of another person. **

"**Well I hope you live happily ever after with this bitch. Given how easy she is, don't be surprised if you pick up something and she leaves you with it."**

**The harsh, bitter words were spoken by none other than Chiba Mamoru, who had walked up by the door to see the final part of the scene. **

"**Watch it Chiba. You're treading on dangerous grounds with those words." Kunzite warned. **

"**Yes Mamoru, watch it or else." Came Motoki's voice from behind him. **

"**What? Well I guess you have to defend your slut Kunzite, but you can have her. Apparently she opens her legs for everyone but me."**

**Each word he spoke left Usagi speechless, as they stabbed at her heart relentlessly. The people in the arcade were also deadly silent. To them it was a joke, but none of them dared to get into a lover's spat. **

"**I always knew there was something funny about the way the two of you got on with each other. Now I know what it is." Chimed Rei. At the sound of her voice Usagi pierced her with a look of disdain and hatred. "It's a good thing I warned Mamoru about you."**

**Minako and Motoki had made their way over to Usagi and Kunzite, while Rei, Mamoru, Ami and Makoto stayed by the entrance. **

"**When will you just admit you've been sleeping with him behind my back?"**

"**It's not true!" Usagi cried. "I've done nothing of the sort. Ami – chan, Mako – chan, you've got to believe me."**

"**Oh come on Usagi, quit the innocent girl act. You've got the man on his knee in front of you proposing. What do you want us to think?" Makoto said venomously. **

**Nodding, Usagi turned and went to the employee room to get her belongings while the others faced off in a war of words. **

**Resolutely she came back out, not batting a single eyelash in their direction. Not wanting her to leave without getting a final jab in Mamoru started up.**

"**Maybe if you'd spent more time in your books than on your back you would have gotten into a good college."**

"**I'll remember that next time Chiba – san." Usagi said. No tears fell however, much to his and Rei's disappointment. Instead, she just walked out of the arcade with her head held high as Kunzite followed, and that was the last they ever heard or saw of her. **

"Motoki told me that he kicked them out as soon as I left. He and Mamoru aren't as close as they once were to this day, but over the years they started talking since they did most of their courses together. Neither he nor Minako talk to the girls so it was a surprise for me to see Makoto there today.

What happened though is that they all found out what really happened a few weeks later when someone who was there gave Motoki the pictures they took that night. The person apparently had been having a bad day also and wanted Motoki to put up the pictures as memorabilia, so they'd always remember that day whenever they came into the arcade. He called them all to the arcade that day and showed them the pictures, letting the man explain to them what went on. They didn't say anything, and Motoki didn't wait for them to say anything; he just kicked them out again. And the rest is pretty much history."

His body was hurting and ready to explode from the varying emotions battling for dominance; but he knew she wanted her space now. His hands were balled into fists that had a firm grasp of the bed sheets he sat on. It was taking everything within him to resist the urge to go over to Mamoru's place and beat him senseless. As his brain began to register his surroundings again, he looked at Usagi and noticed she was doing something he really hadn't expected: she was smiling. It wasn't just a smile to make him forget whatever she had just said, or even to try to make herself feel better. Usagi was genuinely smiling. He figured the confusion read clearly on his face for she started talking again.

"I'm smiling 'cause I'm truly happy Jad. It took me a while to get it, but if people can lose faith and trust in me over something as simple as that then they don't deserve the tears that I cry over the loss. You won't find me losing anymore sleep over it. Why do you think I can work so easily with Mamoru even after what he said and did?"

"I want to make him pay for that Usa." He said, finally vacating his spot on the bed and going to her. This time she stood ready to receive him and they embraced.

"Jad, it's ok. As I said, I know the truth, Kunz knows the truth, and now you know the truth. Really that's all that matters. Even if they know what happened that day I don't care anymore."

Cupping her face in his hands, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Why don't we celebrate? There's a nice little cafe that just opened down the street; we can catch a small bite to eat and just catch up. With all our work lately we haven't had time to spend time alone."

"You're on Mr. Masters. I'll take a quick shower. Care to join?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Yes ma'am."

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**wordy chapter, but I like it...some may think, "well duh all you had to do was ask and they'd know it wasn't real", but remember I dropped a hint earlier on about Rei: she's passive aggressive so the little comments she dropped about Usagi/Kunzite's relationship begin to bear fruit once they see something that points towards what she said. Think about advertising: when you see an ad often enough and decide to try the product, if it does one good thing out of the millions it says it can do then you'll think it works perfectly...**

**hope you enjoyed the chappy!! Mamoru/Usagi action soon to come....don't want to rush it lol...o0o0o and yes!!! Kunzite and Motoki are cousins....slight twist from the norm lol**

**quick note: the ages I have for the story: Usagi is now 24 - she was 23 when she got back to Tokyo - she left when she was 16 + 7 years in Osaka. Motoki and Mamoru are both 27 as of now. Jadeite is 28 and Kunzite is 30. Jadeite and Kunzite met in Osaka - that's how their friendship started.**

**ja ne!!! R&R as always :) and I'll shamelessly plug another author here: READ EVAC'S WORK!!!! LOL**


	8. Ring the alarm

**first off let me sincerely apologise for this chappy taking so long...two reasons: Easter is always busy with church and I had a tough time deciding how I wanted to introduce the Mamoru/Usagi relationship after everything that came previously....do enjoy the chapter and they will get way longer as I go on lol **

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"Well doesn't someone look absolutely scrumptious this morning." Eyeing her appreciatively, Jadeite arose from his place at the dining room table and approached with arms opened, which she willingly walked into. Decked in a white pants suit which accentuated her curves a bit more than her other working outfits, it was highlighted by her subtle make – up and a slick lip gloss.

"You're going to make me have to come down to that office and beat a lot of males today, Usa. I'm not a violent man but I can change if they force me to."

"Behave yourself Jad." Usagi replied with a laugh and a light slap to Jadeite's shoulder. "I don't want you turning into another Kunz."

At the mention of their friend's name he remembered their argument and the subsequent falling out. He sighed inwardly but kept up a happy smile to keep Usagi in the dark. 'Seems I've been doing that a lot these days.'

"So what's the big occasion? Make – up is hardly ever your first choice so today must be pretty special." He asked genuinely.

"Well," she started as they went back to the table to eat their breakfast, "today we will meet with the head of one of the companies I went to while I was in Osaka on business. They're trying to make a proposal whereby they will make me the head of their division. That's the only condition they want fulfilled, and while it's not much of a demand Mamoru's ego can't handle it." she said with a shrug, as she filled her mouth with a bit of the omelette from her plate. "He wants to be in total control so I have to convince them that having Mamoru as the sole leader is not detrimental and is in fact beneficial. Hence the outfit." As she spoke those words she gestured to herself, moving her hand up and down to show her clothing.

To say that Jadeite was taken aback would have been an understatement. Covering it however, he gently placed his fork down and stared at her before saying anything. He had to word this right considering what she told him last night.

"Usa, I don't think that's a wise decision. They could take it the wrong way, and I don't think you want that to happen." 'I don't want that to happen.'

Usagi shrugged again. "It's not like I'm going to some private dinner with them and using sex appeal to woo them Jad. I'll be in the office surrounded by more than enough people to diffuse any potential situations that may occur. Even if I can't trust any of them I at least know Mamoru wouldn't let anything happen to me."

When no response came from Jadeite she looked up to see him fuming. "What?"

"So he's now a knight in shining armour when he was the one who didn't even trust you enough to see through a simple joke between friends?" he said and immediately felt bad when a look of surprise turned to a cold expressionless mask.

"Usa." Quickly moving over to her side he tried to comfort her and apologise. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just..."

"No you are quite right Jadeite." She said standing up. The use of his full name instead of her usual nickname meant she was angry and he knew it. "Don't wait up for me tonight. I'll be out selling myself to make some money. This could take all night. Good – bye." Taking her unfinished breakfast she pushed the swinging door to the adjoining kitchen.

"Usa I'm sorry." He yelled out, following her.

Ignoring him she walked back out to the dining room, picked up her bag and walked down the hallway that led to the living room. Stopping in front of the mirror on the wall placed over a vase, she re – applied her lip gloss.

"Come on Usa don't be like this. I said I'm sorry."

"And I heard you Jadeite."

She saw him coming towards her in the mirror and swiftly turned around. "Don't touch me Jadeite."

"At least let me take you to work. We can t...."

"I'll take a taxi thank you. There's nothing more to talk about. Now, as I was leaving..."

With that she made a hasty exit, walking up the street from their little community to the main in order to hail a taxi.

Due to traffic she arrived at work around 45 minutes later, but the ride had done nothing to soothe her mood. Checking her watch she realised she still had 2 hours until her meeting started at 11:00 am she decided to retire to the one place she knew she could have a bit of privacy: Mamoru's personal lounge. It was out of bounds to everyone else but her. He had told her she could use it if she needed to but so far she had never dared to for obvious reasons. In that case she knew it would come in handy and now she would make use of the privilege she had been granted.

Mamoru's secretary cried out in frustration as she watched Usagi barge pass her into her boss' office. Usagi, in her current mood, was having none of it and gave the woman a piece of her mind. Stepping into the lounge she noted that it was nothing particularly fancy. In fact, it was perfectly suited to the person for whom it was intended. The walls were a creamish colour, with nothing covering them apart from two abstract paintings which faced each other on opposing sides. The furnishing consisted of one three seat couch, and two single seaters, along with a small table with two chairs for eating at. Going closer to the three seat couch she realised it was one that contained a fold out bed.

"I guess for when he has those long nights here."

Running a hand along the leather material, she weighed her options. "And I guess it will come in handy this morning as well." Carefully she unfolded the bed, taking off her shoes as she got in. She set her phone's alarm to go off in an hour and a half and simply lay staring at the ceiling.

The peaceful room was slowly calming her and she soon found herself in a daze but not able to sleep.

"Someone once told me that certain colours help you relax more. That's why she could always sleep for hours in her room."

The sound of Mamoru's voice penetrated the silence, and even though she was surprised, his presence oxymoronically relaxed her in an uncomfortable way. Suddenly she remembered what he said. Not knowing what he was up to, she played it safe.

"Well that would still be a fact if said person didn't have to get up for work at such obscene hours in the morning." She replied with a snort; her eyes still not leaving the ceiling.

"Now you see why I have this place. On mornings like this where I'm dog tired with nothing important to do besides sit and wait on a meeting I come here and basically do what you're doing."

"Ahhh the beauty of being the boss. I hope you don't mind me being here. I can leave if you want me to." She offered.

"No it's fine. I'll use one of these other chairs."

Watching Mamoru as he sat in the single chair trying to get comfortable she sighed and moved over in the bed. "That doesn't look like you're relaxed Mamoru – san. I think that we, as two grown adults, can manage to lie down in a bed without anything happening." She told him, patting the empty space next to her.

"Heh. I guess."

Switching positions, Mamoru easily slipped into the bed next to Usagi, as they both laid on their backs staring at the ceiling in an awkward silence.

"Sooo....."

"Yea......"

"How was your night Usagi?" he asked, deciding to start out simple.

"Same shit different day. Dinner and a boring TV show until I fell asleep. The only thing out of the norm would be me actually telling Jadeite what happened that made me come to Osaka; only now I wish I hadn't since he gladly flung it right back in my face this morning."

Mamoru was stunned; and this was for two reasons. He hadn't expected her to actually reveal anything about her personal life when he asked the question especially considering the fact that she STILL referred to him as 'Mamoru – san'; and he now had to reconsider exactly how he was going to succeed with his plan using Rei. If Jadeite now knew who they were he'd be sceptical, or at least wary of Rei. Maybe he could count on him thinking that Rei didn't know who he was to Usagi, but that'd be a long shot. For now, Mamoru just had to see how things stood at present and then he'd decide what would come afterwards. Course of action determined, he resumed normal conversation with Usagi.

"Wow. I didn't know you hadn't said anything to him about...you know." Well he didn't say anything about it being a fully truthful conversation.

"No I hadn't. For me I just didn't want to relive that part of my life, and Jadeite and I were quite happy without him knowing. He was fine with not knowing but deep down I knew that he was always wondering and I didn't like keeping it from him. When I came back here to work I didn't know if I could handle it; but having to work with you, seeing some of the girls and even going into the arcade didn't have the effect on me I thought it would have. That's why I decided to tell him. Obviously now I'm regretting it as I said."

For the life of her she didn't know why she was telling Mamoru these things, but right now, with nothing between them except a working relationship, it felt right for them to be talking like this. She had said before that they were grown adults and there was no time like the present to have a pow – wow and thrash out everything that was between them.

Mamoru on the other hand was still in shock over her revelations; but just like her, he knew it was time to clear the air between them, if for nothing more than to get her out of that insipid habit of calling him 'Mamoru – san'. Firstly however, he had to do something that he was now slowly coming to grips with.

"Umm. Usa...gi, about what happened...."

Usagi saved him from dredging up an apology by stopping him mid – sentence. "Look Mamoru, I'm not even going to sugar coat it. We ended it on the most horrible terms. At one point Kunzite and Jadeite thought I'd never get over it." she started, still staring at the ceiling. "But you'd be surprised to find that I've forgiven you. I've forgiven you all actually; and yes that includes Rei of all people. It made no sense to stall my life emotionally when none of you felt even the slightest bit of remorse for what you accused me of publicly. Hence why I can now work here with you comfortably."

"About that Usagi."

Again she cut him off. "As I said Mamoru, there's a reason I can now work comfortably with you. I've forgiven you. I mean...I'm not justifying what you all did to me but we were young and during then and now I've grown up considerably. As the saying goes: there's no use crying over spilled milk, and if I walk around holding a grudge against you and the others, whether you want my forgiveness or not, it's there. It's not for your benefit, but it's for my sanity and my peace of mind."

"Well thanks?" he replied.

Laughing she finally looked over at him. "I know it doesn't sound like the traditional forgiveness speech but trust me it's a good thing."

"Alright I accept it, I guess." Mamoru said also laughing. As they lay looking at each other a familiar spark passed between the former lovers that felt as natural as breathing and both felt it. Knowing what was happening they quickly turned their attention back to random spots on the ceiling.

In an instant Mamoru began to rethink his strategy. That one moment laughing and staring into her blue, stormy depths enraged the torrent of emotions that he had been trying for the past year to suppress. This time however he couldn't simply play it off as being miserable that she was happy. Allowing himself to truly feel and understand, he felt sheepish for denying what at one time he'd have been happy to acknowledge. Now he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he couldn't accept Usagi's forgiveness if he didn't apologise honestly. For years he went along with the nonsense that Rei had implanted in his mind; even after they had been harshly alerted to the fact that there was nothing but a pure friendship between Usagi and Kunzite, Rei justified their actions by saying that Usagi was at fault since she should have kept herself away from male friends who clearly had an interest in her when she was with Mamoru. Being the idiot he was he had bought it hook, line and sinker. He'd have more time for introspection later. Right now he had to apologise to a beautiful woman who never deserved the treatment she had received from her friends and her so called boyfriend.

"Listen Usagi." He paused slightly, unsure for the first time since the beginning of their relationship of what to say to the woman next to him. "There's nothing I can say to express how sorry I am. I know you said it doesn't matter if I was or not, but I'd feel like a total ass if I accepted your forgiveness without giving you the apology you deserve. To be honest we treated you like shit – I treated you like shit – and I know it is presumptuous of me to ask this, but I'd really like it if we could at least start over a basic friendship. Nothing complicated, it'll be like we just met."

Usagi looked at him curiously. She was over what they had done but it didn't necessarily mean she wanted to put herself in the position for it to happen again. Seeing this expression Mamoru sat up and continued on.

"Here I'll start. Hi my name is Chiba Mamoru and I'm 27 years young; I'm originally from Tokyo and this is a company I built from the ground up with the help of my parents. Please ignore the fact that I am now introducing myself to you when we've been working together over a year now."

When he finished his introduction of sorts he outstretched his hand for a handshake. Laughing at his last statement she too sat up and took his hand without hesitation.

"I am Tsukino Usagi; 24 years young and, what do you know, I'm originally from Tokyo as well. I work for the company you built from the ground up and I will definitely ignore the fact that we are now introducing ourselves after a year of working together."

They carried on, telling each other bits and pieces of their childhood much like two people who had now met for the first time. They were both pleasantly surprised to find that there were things they hadn't known about the other and secretly a thrill ran through them at the prospect of rekindling a once thought dead friendship.

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**well as you could have guessed, this chapter introduces a bit of friction into the Jadeite/Usagi relationship and starts the Mamoru/Usagi relationship...yes it's starting simple. I didn't want to just jump into their relationship even though it's obviously going to be a friendship. But now that it's out I can move on easier lol. As I said before, chapters will be getting longer since that was a request I received (not too long though lol). Once again let me apologise for how long this took...almost a week and some?? **

**hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next chapter!!! promise it won't take so long LOL ja!!**


	9. one step forward, two steps back

**Hi All! I edited this chapter because of an error in continuity I realised I made...nothing major to affect the story so no worries :)**

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She didn't know who she was more pissed at: Kunzite for being late or the waiters in this snobby establishment that kept staring at her as if she didn't belong. What she did know however, is that she was getting tired of them all. As she sat deciding whether to stay and piss them off even more or give them a piece of her mind and leave, one of the waiters approached her.

"Excuse me, Miss." He said as he stopped in front of her. Without waiting for her acknowledgement of his presence he continued. "You've been here for over 20 minutes without ordering anything and your date doesn't seem to be coming. We can only accommodate you for so long without holding up other guests, so might I suggest..."

"What other guests?" she asked with one eyebrow raised. "It's a Sunday afternoon. The only people who will be coming to this place are members of this God forsaken club; and as far as I can see there's no one else lined up waiting so maybe there's ANOTHER reason you want me gone?"

She put up her hand when she saw him about to answer. "It was a rhetorical question dumbass. But what I will let you know is that when the employee review is placed on my desk along with all the ins and outs of this little place you feel that you own, I'll be sure to let my partner Chiba Mamoru know who exactly you are and how I was treated at this place."

She hated pulling her rank on people but right now this guy deserved it.

"I'm sorry Chiba – san. I didn't..."

"You didn't think. You're right. You saw me in a simple floral skirt, blouse and flip flops instead of being prissy enough to come dragged down by my diamonds and the like and assumed that I was too poor to afford something like this; you figured there'd be no way that the executive from the company that pumps all the money into this place would walk in here looking like a plain Jane. Unfortunately there will be no room for any apology as I don't think Mamoru would want other people to be treated the way you have treated me today. Either hand in your resignation by the end of the day or I'll fire you myself. Take your pick."

"Woah woah woah! What's all the commotion about?"

In all her ranting she had failed to realise that Mamoru was directly next to them.

Standing for the first time she looked the same waiter squarely in the eye. "Do you want to tell him or should I?"

"Tell me what?" Mamoru said a bit warily.

"Oh nothing much. Just that this guy here was ready to kick me out on the premise that my date was a no show and that I was holding up "other guests". Or should I tell him how you all were looking at me with obvious disdain which as I said before, is because I'm not dragged down by diamonds. They all thought I was some ordinary person and he was sent to do the dirty work, i.e. to get me out. I was simply enlightening him to who I was as it relates to this place; now he's at a loss for words at my ultimatum: resign or be fired."

"Is this true?"

"But Mr. Chiba we honestly didn't know..."

"See that's the problem. You DON'T know. And when you don't know you don't go around assuming that everyone will come in here looking a certain way. If they abide by the dress code that's all that should matter to you. Judging from what Usagi is wearing I'm quite sure she's more than satisfied the requirements, and I don't see anyone else here waiting to be seated so I'll have to assume what she said is true. What if other investors in my company came here dressed like this? Would you be quick to throw them out too?"

"No sir. I'm extremely sorry. Please, give me another chance."

"I have to agree with Usagi on this. Either hand in your resignation by the end of the day or we'll fire you."

"Yes sir."

"As for the rest of you," Mamoru started loudly enough so everyone in the club restaurant could hear, "you will all be sent back for training in customer relations. Surely if you felt free to do this to her you have probably done it, or will do it to someone else. And if anyone mistreats this woman again you can think of finding another place to work."

Nodding fearfully, the other employees, bar one, quickly returned back to their jobs.

"This goes for you too." He said eyeing the members, some of whom were still looking at Usagi with clear dislike written across their faces. "If I hear of ANYONE giving her an attitude you can go pack up and find membership at another club house."

Apart from the clinging of cutlery on plates, the restaurant became silent. Almost everyone wanted to know who exactly this woman was and what her relationship was to Mr. Chiba, but they dare not speak about it now; there'd be time for that later.

"Let me apologise on behalf of my staff. If I had known this is how they treat people I definitely would have dealt with them a long time ago." As he said this he pulled out her chair so she could sit.

"It's ok Mamoru. I hated having to use my status to do that but they were so rude from the time I walked through the door." She replied; watching as he sat opposite her.

"Well it's obvious they need to be sent back to customer relations training. What they did was irresponsible and unacceptable and I can't tolerate either in anything I have a stake in. As I told them, had you been any other investor in my company I would have lost a hefty chunk of money because of their attitude."

"I'm a bit offended Mamoru. You sound as though you're only interested in the monetary aspect of this."

"No, no. That's not what I'm saying. Well not totally I guess." He said, leaning back in the chair. "While the rest of the club is limited to members only, this club restaurant specifically is open to anyone once they keep to the dress code and behave themselves. I only gave that example because it was you and to show that they should treat everyone with the same respect since they can't tell who a person is by appearance. Anyone who comes in here is important to the business, even if you are "ordinary"."

Mamoru saw her staring at him intently and kept on talking. "Call it me growing up. I know what it feels like to be on both ends of that attitude and believe me, the receiving end is NOT pretty. From a business stand point, when a person comes here and gets treated how you did they will leave with a bad impression of this club as well as me and what I stand for. If they spread the word I can lose customers from this club and from potential associates for my company who know this is my club. I'm a business man, so it comes naturally to think about how everything affects me on that front.

From a humane position, it's not right to treat people like they mean any less because of what they don't appear to have. My parents were well off, some might even say rich, but they weren't a household name. It meant that there were some places where my name alone couldn't get me what I wanted and only then did I understand what it was like to be the outsider. For years when I was growing up in pre – school etc I was well known and liked because my parents were famous in the small town. High school was the same and I refused to associate with people who I considered "out of my league".

It's only when I got to college and university when I came back that I realised that my parents weren't as widely known as I thought. Some of the peers that I had discarded and looked down on actually had way wealthier and more high profile parents than mine and the majority of them took me to the shed; the rest just ignored me. I don't need to tell you how that made life in school for me. That's why I know how it feels to be on both sides and because of that I would hate for any of my customers to come here and go through that on any level."

"Wow. I...I don't know what to say."

"Meh. It's the past. I've learned from that experience." He said taking a sip of the water on the table. "And other mistakes as well." Mamoru added, piercing her eyes.

For the first time since she was there, Usagi took in her surroundings. The walls were made of dry stone, with each alternating stone being a soft brown or white in colour. This blended perfectly with the oak tables and white cushioned chairs which were spread about the restaurant evenly, each dining place giving enough room for traffic to flow between them without interrupting the diners. Clay tiles sat proudly on the floor, exaggerating the clicking of heels as patrons walked to and fro. At the front was a bar with a pure white marble counter top but no accompanying bar stools. She figured there was only one reason he wouldn't have seating by the bar...

"I don't want anyone chipping the marble. It was directly imported from China and it cost a fortune so I don't want anyone damaging it in the slightest." She heard Mamoru say with a bit of protectiveness in his voice.

Embarrassed that she had been caught staring she smiled and nodded mutely. Needless to say the restaurant not only looked like it cost a fortune; it actually did. The ancient design of the walls with the overlapping dry stone, mixed with the rest of the modern setting of the room, set off a neo – classical air inside the restaurant. She understood now why they would have been so uptight about persons not deemed "worthy" by their standards to be in here, but that still didn't justify their behaviour in her eyes.

"So how late is Jadeite?"

"Huh? What? Umm...I'm not waiting on Jadeite. I'm waiting on Kunzite." She responded a bit dazed; her mind now focusing on Mamoru instead of the room around her.

As for Mamoru, he knew there was nothing going on between her and Kunzite. He knew as much not only because Motoki had in not too kind terms explained their relationship to him, but because he knew she wasn't the sort of person to cheat on her significant other no matter the level of seriousness which came with said relationship. Despite that knowledge Rei's years of deadly whisperings continued to pervade his thoughts and he was bombarded by her taunting of Usagi's infidelity with Kunzite. The words then came out as easily as they had years ago.

"Wow, you're cheating on Jadeite with the same man you cheated on me with. You really have no shame Usako."

Once the words were out he instantly regretted them. She didn't tear up; she didn't get angry or anything in the region of what he expected. What she did totally blindsided him. She smirked and chuckled. It was genuine and at the same time it wasn't. But her words didn't jolt him; his did.

"That's a dangerous accusation to make Chiba. As a business man you should know the repercussions of false allegations are very dire and very expensive."

Taking a slow turn around in his seat he looked straight up into the face of Kunzite. He took a long hard look at the man towering over him and had never felt so small in his life. Daggers were being sent his way if he didn't know better he'd assume his death was right around the corner much in the way Caesar was killed by Brutus; except this wasn't his friend who would be doing the killing. Swallowing, he braced himself for the onslaught which never came.

"Come on Kunzite. Suddenly this restaurant feels a bit out of place for a whore like me. I'll go spread my legs elsewhere Mamoru. Everyone seems to think it these days; first Jadeite, now you. Maybe I am a whore and with that reputation I wouldn't want to tarnish the obvious "class" this restaurant has." She started as she picked up her bag and stood. "And by the way I'll take that comment to mean you wouldn't want to work with someone of my stature. When this particular transaction is finished with these companies in two weeks, I'll be taking my leave from your company. You will have me out of your life as you wish. Good bye, Chiba – san."

When she finished she walked away and out of the restaurant, with Kunzite walking behind her. Mamoru stayed at the table fuming. This was not how he had envisioned it going when he talked had come in and seen her arguing with his staff. And now she was going to quit because of him.

"Damn it!" he shouted. Taking the napkin that was in his lap, he balled it and threw it on the table, pushing back the chair harshly as he got up in haste, ignoring all the stares that he was obviously getting. He was just starting to make progress with her. The fact that she even sat at the same table with him was proof of this, as he was sure that a few months ago she would have accepted his generosity in dealing with the staff then left his presence. Now it had all gone to waste in a moment of stupidity where he couldn't ignore the ranting of an obviously jealous person from years before.

Storming out of the restaurant he made his way to his car that had been parked in a private area reserved for him. Getting into the driver's side, he settled in before reaching for the ignition. Then he hesitated, his mind going over everything again. Leaning back in the seat he stared blankly outside. Two weeks. He only had two weeks to start making things up to Usagi again. Maybe if he had tried from the beginning when she first came into his office this wouldn't have happened.

"No. Even then I'd still be hearing that woman's voice in my head whenever she mentions Kunzite. What the hell is wrong with me! How did I let Rei talk me into all that idiocy, and still do up to this day?"

She liked him. Always had. So why couldn't he have seen through her backhanded accusations of Usagi as that of jealous woman, well girl then, who wanted nothing more than to break up his relationship. It was now so engrained in him to doubt Usagi that even though there was clear evidence to the contrary, his reflexive action upon hearing that she was waiting on Kunzite was to accuse her of cheating on Jadeite.

Exhaling sharply he perked up as he saw someone approaching his car, slowly recognising who it was as they drew closer. They stopped by his window and knocked softly on it. Sighing angrily he put the key in the ignition to give the battery some life, and automatically rolled down the window.

"What the hell do you want?"

"My my Mamo – chan. Is that any way to treat a lady?"

* * *

The ride had been silent so far but there were two questions which were running rampant in Kunzite's mind: why in the world was she sitting with Mamoru? And the more important one, what did she mean by Jadeite thinking she was a whore?

He'd be the first to admit that when it came to the fairer sex he didn't exactly have the suave words to go with his outer demeanour; but there certain things that never came to his mind even when he was nervous with women, and that was addressing them with such deplorable terms. Jadeite was stupid but couldn't have been THAT stupid. He was itching in his seat to find out what the jackass did now. If this was an after effect of Rei there'd be no saving the bastard now. But first he had to know from her what she meant. If he needed to kill Jadeite he would also need to have a reliable defence.

"Usa..."

"I'm still upset at you, you ungrateful pig!" she shouted without even a glance in his direction.

"Me? What did I do to you?"

"Ugh! Are all men this dim? You stood me up you piece of shit. None of this would have happened if you would have been on time!"

"I was on time. I told you we were meeting at 3; I got there at 2 minutes to 3. If anything you were too early. What time did you get there?"

"I got there at a quarter...to...2. Oh my God." As the words flowed from her mouth she immediately remembered a prior engagement she had before she was supposed to meet Kunzite. She'd have to apologise to Minako later but right now she had to eat crow and make up with Kunzite.

"Your forgetfulness got you in trouble again. How many times will this happen before you do what I tell you to do: your phone has a calendar and reminder feature – USE IT!"

"I'm sorry Kunz. I'm such a mess. I was so much looking forward to talking to you that I stood up my own best friend."

"It's no problem Usa. Next time just do as I say and put it in your phone. Write it down; put it on your mirror; do something! Now I'll assume you were anxious to talk to me about you and Jadeite."

It didn't take a genius to determine that the hurt which crossed her features was an affirmative to his statement. Seeing this he diverted and took a different course in order for them to go somewhere more private so they could talk. Surprisingly however, he wasn't as angry as he thought he'd be, especially given how their last interaction ended. The side of him which cared more about seeing Usagi happy then putting Jadeite under a guillotine was winning out; and calmly he drove them to his destination.

* * *

Mamoru all but broke down the door to his apartment, entering the once quiet and tidy place, and began smashing any breakable object he could find.

"The nerve of that bitch! Who the hell does she think she is?"

Pacing madly around the room his eyes caught sight of himself in a mirror which had escaped his rampage. From one encounter with that creature his face had aged 20 years. Screaming wildly he was sure he had been heard by almost everyone in the building; but he didn't care. It felt good to release all that tension in just one action. It wasn't the preferred action but he'd take it since the other action depended on a certain other person. No matter what he had told his heart, his body responded differently to the mere thought of her.

"This is not what I need now." He said groaning in frustration.

How could two women evoke two completely opposite sets of emotions within him at the same time? Right now he had to cool his head before he destroyed any more of his home. Then a crazy idea popped into his head. How to kill two birds with one stone.

"Maybe even more if I'm lucky."

Perking up a bit with where his train of thought was heading, he was beginning to see the tiny ray of sunlight shining down on his miserable situation.

"Relax Chiba. Let's take this one step at a time."

Deciding upon a shower, he stood under the lukewarm water to cool his overheated body. Scrubbing at his skin vigorously as if he could somehow wash away the dirty memories from earlier, he didn't stop until he was satisfied that he had been thoroughly cleansed. Stepping out of the bathroom he went over to his bed and sat on the edge. Slowly he reached for the drawer to his bedside stand and opened it. Picking up the contents contained therein, he brought it to his face with abated breath. For the first time in years he was thankful that he had never worked up the nerve to throw it away.

Carefully, he let his eyes roam and soak in the picture of Usagi he had taken when they went to the park one Sunday afternoon just like this one. His finger traced the outline of her face which was soft and peaceful due to her being asleep. He remembered it like it had happened only a few hours ago. He'd taken her to the park since they'd have some alone time without family and friends around. As they figured the park was basically devoid of any life form apart from animals. They had chosen to simply lie on the grass cuddled together but because of how much studying she had been doing lately, she was tired and had fallen to sleep almost immediately. He seized the opportunity to watch her sleep and was dumbstruck by her beauty then. It was a no brainer then that he had to preserve the image not only in his mind, but physically as well. He took the picture and up to this day she had no knowledge of it.

Opening himself up he finally allowed himself to feel what he had been fighting off for so long. And it was like a snort of cocaine, a shot of heroine and a jolt of ecstasy all in one. He felt like a class A fool for ignoring it for so long but it felt good nevertheless.

"I've missed you Usako."

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**Again...no major editing done so you may not even notice lol**


	10. The matchmaker

**konnichiwa!! :) how is everyone??? I've kept you waiting long enough so here is the next chapter!! gomen for taking so long again but I do hope you're still reading and will enjoy it :)**

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A bright stream of sunlight made its way through the tiny gap the curtains provided, illuminating the features of the occupant on the bed. As the occupant lay ignorant to the brilliant day that was dawning on the outside, another figure made their way around the large room. Unfortunately an unnoticed shoe made the attempt at a quiet entry futile as the figure tripped and sent plates, cups and juice flying everywhere.

"Oh shit."

"Jadeite what the hell is going on here?" Usagi said as she awoke to the scene being played out in her bedroom. On the floor was Jadeite kneeling trying to pick up the fallen food which he had been bringing to surprise Usagi.

"Jad. What's all of this?" she asked a bit less forceful, noticing how saddened he seemed to be. "Was this for me?"

"Yea." He answered, sitting back on his legs while still kneeling. His head hung a bit at his failed effort to serve her breakfast in bed.

Pushing back the silk covers Usagi swung her legs over the edge of the bed to assess the damage. Realising how much it meant to Jadeite she ignored the fact that she was only in her underwear, got off the bed and started to take up some of the fruit and pancakes that covered the floor.

"This cranberry juice might take a bit of cleaning to get it out of the carpet to avoid it setting in. These other marks from the food are probably just surface marks so I'll take them out myself. I'll call the housekeeper and see if she can switch her off day to today and then take tomorrow off; if not we'll have to get it professionally done."

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing he said.

"Sorry for what Jad? This wasn't your fault. If I'm right, you tripped over my shoe that I left in the way so it's my fault." Usagi replied calmly.

"No Usa. I'm not apologising for this. I'm apologising for what I said to you. After all these years you had finally opened up to me…"

"Jad. Let's not do this now." She said cutting him off.

"No Usa. I love you. After all these years you finally allowed me to experience what happened to you years ago that hurt you so deeply. And what did I do? I threw it back in your face without 24 hours even passing. You need to know that I'm sorry for that. I know breakfast in bed is cliché but it was to be a start to the making up process."

Sighing she looked him straight in the eye. "Jad, I'm not going to say what you did was right or that I didn't feel anything when you said it. Even now that a couple days have passed I still feel a bit put off by the whole thing. But it wouldn't be fair of me to not give you the chance to at least make it up. We're in a relationship and when either of us upsets the other it's mandatory that we allow each other to do whatever it takes to make the situation right."

Smiling broadly Jadeite lunged at her and embraced her. "Thank you for the chance Usa. I was so scared I had messed up big time and we'd be finished."

"Well when you go to work today you should say a big thank you to Kunzite." She told him.

His face paled a bit at the mention of his ex – friend/current boss' name, but he covered for it by faking a cough which sounded real enough to Usagi that she bought it.

"I'm fine Usa. Just probably some dust caught in my throat."

"Are you sure? You don't look so good."

"Yea. Anyway, I'll be sure to thank Kunzite personally. But you, my dear, must be home early tonight. We have reservations that we haven't made good on yet at your friend's restaurant."

"Wow I'm surprised we still have those."

"Well I guess now that she knows who we are she's happy to hold the reservations for us. Maybe she's trying to get into your good books again. You did say she talked to you when you saw her at the arcade. She could be sorry for everything after figuring out the truth."

"I've been thinking about her for a while now. Out of our whole group Makoto and Minako were the ones I was closest to. When we talked that day it felt good, but something was missing; you know? It was like there was an invisible veil between us as we spoke and I think we both understood that. Similarly we both understand what it will take to tear down the veil but it's been so long. I've forgiven her and I think she's sorry for what happened. Well at least it appears that way. So how do we make that first step?"

As he listened to her they had both moved to sit leaning up against the bed. "If you really want to be friends again then make the first move. Even though you've forgiven her she may not see it that way so she may be scared to come to you." He told her. "I've got an idea. Invite her to dinner with us only if she has a significant other; otherwise invite her to lunch and sort through this. Remember what you just told me. You were in a relationship and she did something to upset it; granted it's something way different but since she appears sorry give her the chance to make it right. If she takes it you'll know that your friendship can get back on track."

Pondering his words Usagi sat still for a moment. "I think that's what I'll do Jad. Thanks for the advice." She said. Carefully she started to get up and he followed suit. "Now if you want me to be early tonight you're going to have to let me get to work early so I can finish what I need to."

"Alright I can take a hint. I'll go make us some more breakfast while you shower."

"You're so sweet."

They exchanged a soft kiss before continuing their morning rituals and then left for work at their respective places.

* * *

Usagi sat in her office going over every possible detail that she could on the papers in front of her. The companies' lawyers had gone through some of the legal aspects for these mergers and she was getting a head start on finalising everything until they brought the last set of information for her. However her mind was not functioning the way it should have been and she had been stuck on the first three pages for the past hour.

Jadeite had used her own reasoning on her as to why she should make up with Makoto. And he was right. If she had to make a list of her friends in order of closeness the obvious three would have come first, being Kunz, Motoki and Minako; then right under them would have been Makoto had things remained the same. But they weren't the same and that was a fact she had to live with. What she could do however is start the ball rolling to getting things back to as close to normal with her former friend.

'With certain exceptions of course.' She thought.

What was weighing on her mind now was if she should extend the same courtesy to Mamoru and at least try to rekindle a friendship. His antics this past Sunday had cut her deeply even thought she hadn't shown it and for a moment she couldn't understand why. It wasn't until she had talked with Kunzite later on that she had her eyes opened to a new possibility.

"**Kunzite where are we going?" Usagi asked.**

"**Relax woman." He replied while rolling his eyes. "Don't you remember this road?" **

**Taking in the scenery around her a vague bell was ringing somewhere in the depths of her memory. "It looks somewhat familiar but I can't place it specifically."**

"**I'll excuse you for now. We haven't gone up here in a while."**

**As she saw a bit more recognition slowly dawned on her. "Oh my God Kunz!" she squealed in delight. Then she sat back in her seat understanding that it meant that she and Kunzite were going to be having a serious talk now. That wasn't to say that she didn't want to talk to him about everything but right now she wasn't prepared for it. In the restaurant they would have spoken in hushed voices and would have given edited versions to what the really wanted to say. Now that they were going to be in private she had no such comfort. **

"**I take it you know what this means."**

"**Yea." **

"**Come on Usa it will be better this way. If you don't want to I'll turn back now. All you have to do is say the word."**

"**No Kunz. I want to do this and judging by your willingness I guess you want to as well."**

**Soon they were parking and heading to what they called "their bench". The area on a whole seemed secluded, as they were surrounded by trees. There was hardly any thoroughfare, with the only cars travelling the road limited to the few people who lived nearby.**

"**Where do we start?" she asked quietly.**

"**Start wherever you want. I'm all ears." Kunzite replied, putting an arm around her shoulder as they sat together. **

"**I'm a bit concerned about Jadeite and where we currently stand. I know, I know you both say he's working but something still doesn't feel right. And as if that alone wasn't bad enough, I decided to tell him about me and Mamoru, and everything that happened here." Her voice getting higher the more frustrated she became.**

"**You told him EVERYTHING?" Kunzite asked, trying to confirm his thoughts. If Jadeite knew about Rei maybe it'd knock some sense into him. But he still couldn't figure out why Jadeite still didn't say anything to Usagi about seeing a friend at least. He didn't particularly like lying to Usagi, but the situation warranted it. The more Jadeite kept hiding it the worse it was going to be once Usagi even caught a sniff about what was really going on. He even knew he'd be on the receiving end of her wrath for knowing about it and not telling her. **

"**Yea I told him all of it. And you know what the ass did?"**

**Not liking where this sounded like it was going, Kunzite took his arm from around her, turned and looked directly at her. The angered and questioning expression on his face made Usagi calm down a bit. It wouldn't have been good if she was upset, because it would feed Kunzite's anger and that wouldn't be pretty. A cool head was what he needed when they were speaking and his best advice would not come if he was about to blow his top. Taking a deep breath she continued.**

"**He threw it right back in my face the following morning. I dressed in one of my better, flirtier suits and wore a bit of make up. He asked why I was in such attire and I told him I had to close a deal and all that jazz. I MAY have been trying to use my looks to my advantage but that was always secondary in my thoughts. I figured I would woo them with all the business talk and the outfit would be like a bonus. **

**Obviously he didn't see it that way and told me they might take it the wrong way; and even though I tried to reassure him by saying that I'd be safe even if they tried anything since we would be in an office he was still upset."**

"**So how exactly did he throw your and Mamoru's previous relationship in your face. So far he's just being a douche."**

"**Well I told him that if anyone there tried anything that I knew that Mamoru wouldn't let anything happen. And before you tell me that I shouldn't have said that to my current boyfriend about an ex, consider the fact that he was absolutely fine with Mamoru and would have probably agreed with me about what I said, had I not told him the night before that he was my ex. I don't need him accusing me of seeing Mamoru as some "knight in shining armour" after all he did to me. I KNOW what he did to me. Mamoru may not be the greatest guy, as we saw today, but he wouldn't just stand by and watch others soliciting me verbally or physically and just let it happen. **

**I mean...for all my time at the company, I hadn't even had any sort of contact or conversation with Mamoru outside of business talk. It simply doesn't make sense that ANY male would see his female colleague being harassed and NOT do something about it."**

**Her attempt to stay calm failed miserably but Kunzite had surprisingly kept cool despite her frantic emotions. **

"**I understand Usa. As a man I see where he's coming from but you had just confided in him one of the biggest secrets of your life; and no matter how angry he was or how much we men hate hearing about our girlfriends being protected by an ex, he shouldn't have used it as a chance to throw what happened in your relationship back in your face."**

"**Exactly! God...even his normal jealousy I could have dealt with; but when he was talking as if I had had some change of heart concerning Mamoru after all he did, I couldn't take it. I ALONE felt the pain that Mamoru caused and I don't need ANYONE being sarcastic and accusing when it comes to me and Mamoru."**

"**Concerning that Usa. Your little display back at the club restaurant; care to explain?"**

"**I was having issues with some of the staff. Mamoru walked in on it and sorted out the situation. Nothing more, nothing less. We sat together afterwards since he knew I was waiting on someone. When he found out it was you he made his comment and you walked in."**

**Shrugging, Kunzite decided not to dwell on it. Then he spoke.**

"**With regards to Jadeite," 'I can't believe I'm about to stand up for this guy.' He thought, "try working things out. Talk it out. It's your relationship, and when you're in one you have to at least give your partner a chance to make up whatever they did wrong. To a certain extent however. If any man touches you let me know so that he'll have to eat with his toes."**

"**But..."**

"**I know Usa. I'm not saying you have to go home and forgive him, but give him a chance to at least say he's sorry and then go from there. Believe me, we need it. I've learned from the mistakes I made with Nano – chan and if she hadn't given me a chance we wouldn't have made it past a week together."**

**Laughing, she understood what he was talking about. "We've had our minor problems before and we've always taken time out to listen to an apology. I won't make an exception this time. And I guess I understand what you said about men hearing about an ex protecting their 'women'."**

"**Jadeite may be thick headed a lot of the times, but he loves you. If he doesn't give a good apology however, feel free to leave his ass." **

"**I will. And you'll be the first to know as always. Thanks Kunz; for everything."**

"**No problem baka. You know you'd probably die without my sustaining presence." He said raising his head haughtily. **

**Rolling her eyes, she sat back on the bench and leaned on his shoulder as they both spent a couple more moments out in the open before heading home. **

He told her that Jadeite loved her. His display this morning in trying to set their relationship right, and the sheer sadness that clouded him when it didn't play out as he had imagined, all spoke to this. In her case however, the jury was still out.

No. The jury wasn't out. She knew now without a shadow of a doubt what exactly she felt for Jadeite. For the sake of their relationship she accepted the heartfelt gesture, but deep down there would always be something missing.

When she was talking to Kunzite about what Jadeite had said previously, it had her reeling, and understandably so. But when he asked about Mamoru and what happened before he got there, the memory of his cruel words slashed at her again. Again she had dismissed it there, but as they had sat in silence her mind constantly drew her back to it. Why would she be hurt by behaviour she should have expected? Inexplicably the answer came to her like an epiphany.

'_You still like Mamoru._'

Tears began to cloud her vision, and she closed her eyes as they made their way down her face. The little part of her heart that she knew Mamoru still held was always suppressed. It was the part that kept her from fully committing to Jadeite and she had accepted that. But the past events obviously revealed something else. There was more than the little part of her that still liked Mamoru, and it wasn't as suppressed as she thought it was. It was the only valid explanation as to why Mamoru's words STILL wounded her mortally, while Jadeite's were skin deep.

While they were no longer in a relationship, there was that little voice that was telling her to extend the same courtesy to Mamoru; to give him a chance to redeem himself for yesterday. And that part of her that Mamoru held rejoiced, but she feared being hurt again.

"It's just a friendship baka. It's not like you're begging him to take you back."

With that strengthening her a little, she exited her office and went in the direction of Mamoru's. As no meetings were on the schedule for the day she assumed he would have been perusing through paperwork like she had been minutes ago; so she gave a quick knock and called his name, and then entered.

The sight that greeted her was unexpected however. Mamoru was off in the corner looking a bit irritated, while on his desk sat a female with her legs crossed in a sensual manner. Her white mini – skirt ridden high to show off her creamy thighs, the black halter top cut down between the valley of her breasts, and a devilish grin to match the already seductive yet trampy outfit and demeanour.

"Why hello UsaKO. We finally meet again after all these years."

Mustering up some more courage, Usagi put on her own mask of indifference and replied.

"I'd say the pleasure is all mine but that'd be a lie....Mizuno – san."

* * *

**o0o0o0o0o0o lookie who shows up!!! lol I wonder how this will play out! hehehehe**

**AN: the main plot is still the same but I changed a bit of how I wanted it to go...plus I think it's time I made some moves towards Mamoru/Usagi no? lol hope you enjoyed it...R&R :) ja ne until the next chappy! **


	11. Pride, Plans and Propositions

Konnichiwa! :) That was a looong wait and I'm sorry! Life has taken over...that's the only excuse I have lol....but here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

'This cannot be happening now.'

All the blood in Mamoru's body ran cold when he heard Usagi's voice outside. He knew the main reason Ami decided to pay him a visit for the first time ever was because she had discovered, upon her return to Tokyo, that Usagi was working with him. She was refusing to leave but he didn't want to remove her physically himself or call security for her or else it'd draw too much attention to them.

Like he assumed she would do, she quickly entered expecting that he was alone as usual. When he saw her as her eyes fell on Ami he didn't know what to think. Her face was impassive but for all he knew she could be hiding whatever she truly felt on the inside. Ami greeted her with a taunt and her reply gave him nothing to go on. Even if she wasn't affected by this, something within him told him that he had to let her know somehow that whatever the scene looked like wasn't the truth to what was really going on.

Ami and Usagi stared at each other a few seconds longer before Usagi turned to Mamoru. Immediately his eyes pleaded with her to understand that he too was upset by Ami's presence. What she did however surprised him. Her eyes were filled with mirth and a bit of sympathy, and Mamoru inwardly did a dance of joy. Then she spoke.

"Mamoru – kun." She said. Smiling ever so sweetly she closed the gap between them with a few steps. "You are forgiven for your little mishap the other day."

A slight flicker in her eyes told him there was a double meaning to that; but what, he didn't know. He prodded a little further to see if he could get her on the same wavelength. He knew she was granting forgiveness for what he had done in the restaurant, and wanted desperately for her to also understand how he felt about Ami being here now.

"Thank you Usa – chan. The mere thought of that person irks me so imagine what it was like having them there." He said; making sure his meaning got through to her.

The knowing smile and slight sympathetic expression told him that she had making him cartwheel inside. Suddenly he was thankful Ami had shown up when she did, for had she not been there they would have been forced to start an awkward conversation to right the wrong that had occurred. And as much as he was sorry, the pride which was ever present in him wouldn't have allowed him to vocally express to her his remorse.

And in one simple moment, time stood still and he remembered his major reason for loving her. While his looks and charm could rake it women seemingly at will, once they got to know him they were on the next train out of his life. A few shallow ones stayed but they were incapable of loving him; incapable of loving him the way that she had.

Usagi had loved him; ALL of him. She took him as he was. She understood that he was a prideful man and would hardly every say those three words "I am sorry". But Mamoru had found a way to express his repentance and she accepted it as who he was, knowing that it meant he had inwardly accepted that he was wrong. They both knew that that in itself was a huge stepping stone.

The walls he had spent the past few years erecting were being chipped at slowly. But before he could dwell on it anymore he remembered they had another visitor in the room. Turning to the third occupant of the room, he addressed her.

"Mizuno – san."

"It took you long enough to bring your attention back around to me Mamo – chan." She said; putting emphasis on his nickname hoping to get a rise out of Usagi, continuing on when said person didn't even flinch.

"You know Mamo – chan," she started as she hopped off the desk in a less than lady like manner, "it's not such a difficult proposition. We both will get what we want in the end. You get my father's company, and I," slowly she strode over to him and place her hand on his chest, "get you." She gave him a flirtatious smirk, then spared a glance over her shoulder at what she knew would be a shocked expression on Usagi's face.

Nothing. Whatever she felt inside was not betrayed by the emotion on her face. Instead she wore a blank indifferent mask, which only served to fuel Ami's fire. This wasn't the girl she met in high school who wore her heart on her sleeve. The girl she met then would give away anything she felt in an instant. Her demeanour would change and she'd wear the joy, hurt etc without a second thought. Usagi had never been one for histrionics so Ami didn't expect her to start now. But she wanted to get something out of Usagi now and wouldn't be satisfied until she did.

"What's the matter Mamo – chan? You're not going to call off our engagement are you?"

Mamoru's heart sank when she asked that question and he murderously glared at Ami who assumed that her little revelation would have her desired effect. When she didn't hear a reply from Usagi she turned around to face her, standing with her back pressed against Mamoru's chest. His body shuddered in repulsion but she mistook it for excitement and thought she'd won a small victory.

Usagi coolly raised her eyebrow at the two. "Ooh pick me! Let me guess what you're trying to do here." She drawled with sarcastic enthusiasm. "You want Mamoru for yourself and you think with me in the picture he'll come running back to me. So you want to show me that I have no chance with Mamoru since he's with you now, and see if you can get some sort of negative reaction out of me."

Seeing Ami's eye twitch she knew she struck a nerve. "Well. Am I right?" a devilish smirk crossing her own features. Silence and a very angry Ami gave her all the answers she needed, and she decided to play a little game of her own.

"Ami – chan." Walking up to the woman, she kept the smirk on her face. She stopped in front of her and cupped her cheek, caressing it gently. Then leaning over she whispered into her ear, "You're no competition for me my dear. If I wanted Mamo – chan back, there'd be nothing in my way to stop me. Thank you for keeping my spot warm for me, but rest assured when his hands are roaming wherever they please on my body, and his lips making their own trail as he pleasures me, we won't be thinking about you."

Holding back up she felt accomplished when she felt Ami's body go rigid. Mamoru also felt it and began to wonder what Usagi could have said to elicit such a reaction. She found his eyes and got lost in them for a minute before she made her leave.

"Enjoy your day Ami – chan." She said with a lively chuckle. "Mamoru I'll be in my office if you need ANYTHING." Giving him one last wink she left the office and walked briskly to her own office.

Back in Mamoru's office two people stood stunned for different reasons, though neither could believe what had just transpired. Mamoru awoke from his stupor first.

"I think you should leave Mizuno – san. And tell your father I'm rethinking our little arrangement. His company has lost its lure." He said venomously; making sure she got the hint.

"You'll never be rid of me Mamo - chan. Like a moth to the flame you'll come back."

"Yea whatever. Now go. I'm not feeling as kind as I was before and I won't hesitate to put you out myself using any means necessary."

Stomping angrily out of his office, Ami slammed the door as she got outside. Her strategy was not working out like she had planned at all. She had to start again, but she didn't know where. For all her smarts, she didn't know how she could have underestimated the impact that Usagi's return would have had on the situation at hand. Walking out of the building her mind kept going over everything.

Her father wanted a male heir to his company. She didn't mind and didn't take any offense to his desires. Business life wasn't for her anyway. But when she heard that Mamoru had been propositioning her father for a stake in his company the wheels had started turning and two years of wanting the elusive Chiba Mamoru now seemed more like a reality than a fantasy.

Immediately she went to her father with the idea. He wanted to retire soon and needed the company to stay in the family with a male as the head. He was supposed to offer Mamoru her hand in marriage and he'd kill two birds with one stone. Mamoru would be a male heir who would be family and in control of the company whenever her father retired; and any male children they conceived could run the company whenever Mamoru chose to retire and hand it over to them. Her father hadn't objected, instead he agreed wholeheartedly.

Mamoru on the other hand had been hesitant to agree with the terms of the arrangement, and his drive and pride would not allow him to turn down a company that had been offered to him on anything less than a silver platter. To this day he was still in the "consideration" phase and she was running out of time. Devising a plan, she was going to use his pride against him, making sure to play on the fact that the entire company would be his. Knowing Mamoru was someone who had to get what he wanted and nothing less, it was a fool proof plan. Once he had accepted the deal she would make him fall in love with her and she'd finally have all that she wanted.

Usagi coming back to Tokyo had been expected. Ami hadn't really believed she would stay gone forever. What she had failed to take into consideration was the effect she would still have on Mamoru. He had gotten a more frigid personality in the time that she was gone and no one seemed to be able to penetrate him. She figured Rei had planted enough seeds of doubt in his mind, that when their showdown in the arcade on that day had taken place, any feelings he would have had for her had been dead and buried. She didn't mind his ice like demeanour however. The challenge would be to get him out of that state and be as warm as he was originally with Usagi; and she would enjoy every bit of it.

As she approached her car she saw a piece of paper stuck behind the wiper. Sceptically she reached for it and read it. A broad smile made its way across her face. Getting into the car she laughed a bit to herself. She was back in business.

* * *

She was pacing wildly back and forth in her office. Exactly what had just happened back there she didn't know. She was still trying to figure out why she said what she did to Ami. It was a dangerous way to taunt her, and an even more dangerous opponent to play against. Only she and Kunzite knew the way she still felt about Mamoru, and the part of her he'd always hold. As far as everyone else was concerned, she had moved on and was happy with Jadeite. What disturbed her more than the fact that she had revealed it to someone else, was that she had revealed it to Ami.

On a scale of 1 to 10 of vindictiveness, Rei was an 8 while Ami was a full 10. Rei had only one personality, and she either liked you or she didn't. She could play nice if the situation required, like she had when they were once a group of friends, but it didn't mean she liked you. Ami was the master of different personalities. Truly she had two definite personalities. There was the quiet, timid girl who was studious and presented quite a simple and friendly visage. It was what Usagi had first seen and was why she took a liking to the girl. What people never saw until it was too late, was the way she would stab you in the back with whatever information she had elicited from you that she manipulated falsely to suit her own needs.

Luckily for Usagi, she had never let anything slip with Ami, and for that she was thankful. But the way she had seen and heard of Ami dealing with others there was a bit of fear and trepidation after what she had let out of the bag. Unfortunately this meant she couldn't put off talking to Jadeite about this anymore. Ami may not have known Jadeite personally, or even know anyone connected to him, but she knew Ami would find a way to distort whatever had taken place and it would miraculously end up being told to Jadeite.; and that was a chance she couldn't take.

She sat at her desk, feeling a bit numb. All that time spent keeping whatever she felt for Mamoru in check had gone to waste in a flash. Her mind had stopped working and her heart had taken over; marching to its own beat and creating its own logic. With her elbows on the desk she held her face in her palms. This was NOT supposed to happen. She could live with that little part of her that responded to all things Mamoru, but now that feeling was spreading like wildfire through her entire being. It was like her teenage years all over again.

"Usa?"

His deep voice calling her made her snap up quickly. More feelings started to bubble under the surface. Now she was longing to hear him call her the name that they had reserved for her. That name which she hadn't heard for years. The name that could make her shiver and melt at a mere whisper from his smooth lips.

"Just a second Mamoru." She had to calm herself down before this got out of hand. She may not have had control over how she felt about him, but she had control over her own actions as they related to those feelings. She was with Jadeite and nothing was going to change that.

"Control yourself Usa. We'll straighten this out now." She mumbled to herself. Even as she said it, the words she had taunted Ami with were still haunting her with images of her and Mamoru doing exactly what she said they would do.

"No use delaying the inevitable." In saying it she hoped that Mamoru was calmer than she was. His calmness had a strange way of washing over her whenever she needed it.

"Come in." She said out loud, and no quicker had she said it did he walk in locking the door behind him.

To the average person his appearance spoke of assurance and confidence. But to her Mamoru – trained eyes she saw the unease, insecurity and sheer restlessness in his eyes that would have been shielded had it been anyone else but her. Seeing it made her realise that he was going through the same inner turmoil that she was.

'This should be fun.' She thought.

"I don't think I need to tell you have a seat Mamoru." She said, trying to ease a bit of the tension.

To her surprise Mamoru came and stood right next to her chair. He took her hand in his and pulled her from her seat. Standing mere inches apart he cupped her face and stared into her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time someone had stared at her with such intensity and passion and her hormones were responding in kind. The images in her mind didn't make it any easier on her and soon she found herself getting closer and closer to his face.

Mamoru didn't want it to happen this way however, and his morals won out over his own body. His index finger came between their lips before they touched. He closed his eyes to steady his erratic breathing, and placed his forehead on hers.

Through her confusion she understood why he stopped their kiss, and silently applauded the gentlemanly side of him. They shared a quiet embrace for a few minutes until someone knocked at the door.

"We'll talk about this later. Meet me at 3 in my lounge." Kissing her cheek softly he left her, opening the door and allowing the person on the outside to enter.

On his way back to his own office, Mamoru knew exactly what he had to do. Taking out his cell he dialled a familiar number.

"Rei. Move into over drive. I don't care how you do it just get Jadeite and Usagi apart and stay out of sight."

Not waiting for a response he ended the call. Going over to his window he looked out into the streets at the people walking by. It was a good thing he already had set that plan in motion, for it was now coming in handy. It didn't matter that when he started there were bad intentions behind it; he was now doing it for the greater good. In fact, he would argue that his reasoning hadn't changed for doing it; he now simply acknowledged what he was feeling before.

Staring at his slight reflection in the glass he gave a devious smirk. "You'll be mine yet Usako."

* * *

On the other end, Rei looked at her phone and snorted.

'Who the hell does he think he is?'

"Let me guess. Chiba Mamoru has you on a string?"

Glaring at the occupant in the seat across from her she simply replied. "No one gets Hino Rei on a string. But you better play nice or else you won't get your prize."

"Alright I'm listening. What are you putting on the table?"

"I've got my eyes set on a certain someone, and you've got your eyes set on a certain someone. And a certain someone is standing in both of our paths."

"Go on."

"Mamoru already has me on an assignment, which he assumes will work out how he says. All I suggest is a little...rewiring of his programme; if you get what I mean."

"Sounds good. I'm in Rei."

"Good to have you on board Ami."

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**o0o0o0o cliffy! I think lol hard to tell when I know what comes next lol...hope you enjoyed it! and yes there was some more Mamoru/Usagi action! and YES Ami is quite different from her usual character lol...what will happen now that Ami and Rei are working together? :D stay tuned for the next chapter! I really hope you enjoyed this :) ja ne**


	12. Mind, Body and Texts

**Wow...first of all let me sincerely apologise...problems with my laptop, lost all the files, and with it taking so long I sort of lost the plot a bit with this in my mind...I had to read through the story and try to find where I was going with it and keep it inside the timeline I had already established...I do hope you will still read...Now that I've started back I will try to finish it ASAP since I owe you a lot :) **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

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Slowly a pair of feet tip toed as quietly up the stairs as possible. It had been an unexpected late night; her mind and body were aching. She had lost track of time which seemed to be becoming the norm instead of a rare occurrence. Luckily both she and Mamoru were too busy to talk about anything other than business tonight, but unluckily the earlier happenings were still weighing heavily on her mind and were making her nervous for any interactions she may have with Jadeite. Easing the bedroom door open slowly she peered in only to be surprised to find Jadeite still awake, but backing her as he looked out the window.

"Jad!"

He turned sharply at the sound of her voice.

"Usa!" he said. "I didn't hear you get in." The surprise was evident in his voice.

"I thought you would be asleep by now so I didn't want to wake you. If I knew you were up I'd have kept more noise." She responded; chuckling a bit to ease some of her tension.

"You didn't call to say you were going to be late so I was getting a bit worried." He started as his feet took her towards her figure still standing in the doorway. "I guessed you were too caught up so I took a little comfort in that. You know how I can get."

Embracing her where she stood he felt her stiffen a bit as she reciprocated the action. "Is everything alright?"

"Yea...I'm just a bit tired. Since working so late caught me off guard I didn't have anything stored up to get me through. I just want to see my bed right now." She didn't have to fake the weariness in her voice however.

Not bothering with a shower Usagi stripped down to her underwear and crawled to her spot on the bed. Jadeite watched her with a gentle smile understanding all to well what she was feeling and making sure she got settled before he got in next to her. He was glad the tension between them had subsided but he had yet to thank the one responsible for talking her into forgiving him. To be honest he didn't even know how to begin to express his gratitude to the man that would throw him to the lions in a heart beat without a second thought after the whole Rei incident.

As his mind went back to her an uncomfortable feeling arose in the pit of his stomach. His conscience was gnawing at him. He sat at the side of the bed and began to rotate his neck, trying to ease the ever increasing tightness of his muscles. Usagi hadn't even lasted a minute; she was already fast asleep and for that he was grateful. Stretching out to his full length across the bed he stared at the ceiling hoping that some sort of answer would miraculously show itself.

For the life of him, Jadeite couldn't fathom Rei. He didn't doubt Usagi's account since it had been proven by his near death experience once Kunzite heard about her. What he didn't understand was why this behaviour never seemed likely to come out of the Rei that he knew. Sure, sometimes it took the worst situations for people to show their true colours but those people tend to at least leave hints, no matter how subtle, as to their true nature even if others ignored it. At least that was his opinion.

Those thoughts led Jadeite down a dangerous path, but the possibility was there. 'Maybe, just maybe,' he reasoned, 'there was something going on at one point between Kunzite and Usa.'

He shifted his head on the soft pillow and let his eyes rest on the other occupant of the bed. Usagi was resting peacefully; lying on her stomach, face calm as strands of her blonde hair framed her face. She really was a beauty; one might assume that was due to her typical looks. In his life however he had come across many a blonde hair – blue eyed woman who made themselves ugly for many reasons. It served to fuel his wayward thinking.

'How could Kunzite NOT be attracted to her?'

He covered his face with his whole arm and groaned. This had to stop. Continuing like this had the potential to put him back in hot water with Usagi again and that he couldn't afford. But something in him kept pressing on.

'Could it be that Rei saw something that no one else could see? She and Kunzite were closer than normal but they always said that's just because of how they grew up. I accepted that, but is that really all there is to it?'

Rolling onto his side to back Usagi, Jadeite reached over to the bed stand and took his phone from one of the drawers. His stomach churned sourly as the onset of guilt came upon him at what he was about to do; but he couldn't stop now. The text had been sent. There was no turning back. Sparing a glance over his shoulder he sighed. Everything was in motion but he hoped and prayed that at the end of it all Usagi would still be his.

* * *

There were a few nuts and bolts that had to be put in place in order for this to work and right now her usually active mind in these types of situations was drawing a blank. Unfortunately, as reported by Ami, Mamoru and Usagi were now back on speaking terms. That could put a spoke in her operations. If she was too harsh she'd drive away Jadeite and Mamoru.

Of course she knew she had made a pact with Ami; but she had to look out for herself first. If things didn't go as planned with Jadeite she wouldn't hesitate to go after Mamoru again. What Rei needed now however, was a starting point. It was useless picturing and enjoying the image of a broken Usagi after losing both of the men in her life, if she didn't even know how to get them away.

The "befriending Usagi then stealing her boyfriend" routine had been done before and given their current status as best enemies, it would more than likely never be used again. She needed something where she could get Jadeite from her but wouldn't send her straight into Mamoru's arms. After mulling over a few ideas in her head one stuck out to her. She had never considered it before since it wasn't her style, but this time it was needed. It would give the exact amount of pain she wanted Usagi to feel. There was no question that this unorthodox plan was the right route to take. The only thing missing now was a ruse. A slight buzzing brought her out of her thoughts. Realising it was her phone she looked at it quizzically.

'Who could that be?'

Getting up to get it she ran over the various people it could possibly be. Taking it off the table where it sat she was surprised but happy at the name which appeared on her screen. She wasn't a deeply religious person but she thanked whichever gods there were for doing her a favour. Opening the text she read and almost did back flips inside.

"Well that takes care of that part."

She took a minute before replying, not wanting to come across as desperate. Still she couldn't help but wonder what brought it on.

"Maybe Usagi dearest isn't satisfying him the way she should be."

Giving a bit of a smile she sent her reply. There was no way she was passing up this easy of a chance. How often did your chosen target put themselves in the line of fire? She however understood caution was still needed; and fortunately patience was something she could do if necessary. Like a new born needed a parent's delicate touch, so too did this situation need hers. If all went well she would have to wait a few months to get into Jadeite's head a bit, but in the end it would be worth it.

She went to the wine cabinet in her kitchen, got her favourite bottle and poured herself a glass. The burn of the alcohol in her empty stomach served as a raw reminder of the pain that was to come in order to get what she wanted. But much like she withstood this pain, she would withstand anything thrown at her in the coming months.

"Well dearest Usako, let's play ball and see what you've got."

* * *

He glanced over at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time since he came to bed. It had been over an hour and still he couldn't get his mind to shut down. His body had given up the fight before he hit the mattress but his mind kept drifting to a certain blonde haired beauty that was probably fast asleep elsewhere.

"In the arms of another man."

He gave a low groan in the back of his throat in misery. Turning onto his stomach he buried his head in his pillows and took a few deep breaths. This was NOT happening to THE Chiba Mamoru. In what was a short space of time to him, he had done a complete 180 with his feelings towards Usagi. Others would say his feelings were always the same, but his reaction to the feelings was what was different. He however didn't know how it had ended up like this.

Mamoru was sure that he had embittered himself during the years Usagi had been gone. But as was becoming a nightly ritual, his mind's inner workings were slowly unveiling themselves as he stayed in solitude. Working so late with Usagi had its disadvantages. She had finally begun to relax around him and was therefore more talkative and open about her daily life outside of the office. It made him notice all the little quirks he used to, and still did, love about her. But he had to rest at some point. At these times where he laid motionless his mind rebelled against what he thought his heart wanted. It was like dreaming while he was awake; the only difference being that he wasn't imagining what his mind was showing him – it was simply a replay of all the good times he had had with Usagi since they had called truce and decided to rekindle their friendship. True it wasn't a long time but apart from the faux pas at the restaurant the past week had been really enjoyable in their office for the first time in what seemed like forever. At first there had been a slight tension which gave way shortly after to mutual respect within a quiet, untouched atmosphere. Now she lit up the office and much like she tended to make everyone else smile, she now made him smile and relax. One could probably say it came at the right time since work was definitely becoming more stressful as they tried to close these deals; nights like this where he spent the majority of it awake instead of sleeping after a late night would keep his blood pressure high but for the fact that she would be able to help him settle the following day.

This was a vicious cycle; and a bit of a sadistic one at that. His tormentor during the night comforted him during the day, albeit unknowingly. He wanted it to end as quickly as possible; and while even up to a few months ago he would have said he wanted it end with her getting out of his life, now he didn't want her to leave. Despite his efforts he'd gotten used to her being here; gotten used to her presence; gotten used to her essence being in everything they did at work. From her distinct scent of vanilla mixed with her choice of perfume for the day, to her cursive handwriting on some documents that she preferred to do, as she termed it, "the old school way".

He needed her back. Desperately. For the sake of his own sanity and because he could finally admit he was a jealous wreck watching her day after day, knowing that had it not been for one stupid mistake it would be their company they would have been running; it would have been him who she came to work with; it would have been him who she confided in; it would have been him who she went home with and cheered her up after a bad day; it would have been him who got to share the joys of all her success; and it would have been him who she cuddled next to, who protected her during the night, after he made love to her.

"It should have been me." He whispered softly, muffled by the pillow. A few tears made their way out to soak the pillow as his face stayed buried in it.

Getting up off the bed after letting the tears flow for a few minutes, he made his way to the bathroom sink to wash off his face. Upon seeing his reflection in the mirror above it he let out a hearty laugh for what was the first time in a long time. It wasn't sarcastic, it wasn't as someone else's expense, and he hadn't achieved anything so it wasn't victorious and condescending either. No. This was a good, heart felt laugh. And he knew the reason why.

"In the words of Usagi, Chiba Mamoru you look like a hot ass mess."

Not that he needed another quality about her to love, but it served to reinforce the mad rush of feelings that he welcomed being awoken within him. Whereas others, even his own friends tended to watch what they said around him even jokingly, she just told him.

Making his way back to the bed he sat on the edge. Never one to second guess any decision made, he stood firm in the job he set Rei out to do when he saw his phone light up and read the incoming text.

"So Jadeite wants to meet up with Rei. I wonder if Usa knows about this?" he said in faux innocence. "This could get very interesting."

He wasted little time replying, demanding to know what she had planned for Jadeite. With a bit of anxiety he awaited her response. As it came back he grumbled with slight acceptance, but snorted at it when the underlying meaning fully hit home. She was going after Jadeite herself. That was the only reason she'd need to work slowly in getting him to trust her, otherwise she would have simply pulled the "trick him into sex" routine like she did with any man she wasn't in love with, and let Usagi find out some way, taking about a week at most.

"At least she's given up on me." He said with a snicker.

It would take a bit longer than he wanted, but the outcome was most important to him. Once Usagi was in his arms at the end of it all he didn't mind. With his mind finally shutting down he smiled at the final thought of being able to have her back with him, and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

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**so0o0o0 good? bad? ugly? have I lost my touch? have I lost the plot? **

**review and let me know! and let me apologise again for taking so long! **


	13. I think I can

**oh hai! Ok so let me FIRST apologise but explain...work has been rough! so I've been working on this incrementally since I can't do one chapter during the day it is supposed to be uploaded. I have NOT forgotten about the story, I just have to work slower than when I wasn't on the job. **

**But here you go nevertheless! New chapter! :) Hope you enjoy it! And THANK YOU for the reviews! they mean a WHOLE LOT! **

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She had been fidgety all morning long. From the time she woke up until this very moment her nerves were in shambles. She tried pacing the room, drinking water, sitting still, reading; she even went as far trying to light a cigarette to smoke but the smell turned her off immediately. Nothing helped. Turning her eyes to her support group, as she termed them, she became annoyed when she saw the expressions their faces carried. Minako had a pitiful expression on her face, Motoki was looking at her like she'd gone mad, and Jadeite looked about ready to burst from holding in his laughter.

"What the hell is wrong with you all? Are you going to be helpful or will you just sit there doing nothing?" She bellowed. Had Mamoru not had these doors made sound proof she would bet everything that she had that the others on the floor could hear her.

"Usa, calm down. You're getting too worked up about this." Minako replied as quietly as possible.

"Too worked up? I've spent the past year and some working on these deals with absolutely no help from any of you. Do NOT tell me I'm getting too worked up Minako!" At this point she was nearly leaning over Minako.

Just then Mamoru knocked and walked in. His eyes quickly scanned the room and its occupants. When his eyes fell upon Jadeite he felt his insides start to boil. He was the man standing between him and Usagi. Calming himself he continued his scan until his eyes landed on Usagi.

Looking her up and down carefully Mamoru wondered why he had denied himself for so long. Her black pin striped pants suit hugged her body neatly, with her two inched heel black shoes elongating her already long legs. Her hair had been slicked back into a tight bun, with few strands slightly curled at the front to frame her face. He knew he shouldn't have followed it, but the silk strand held his attention – following it as it made its way down her face, her neck and...

"Mamoru? Are they ready?" Usagi asked; breaking him free from the temporary spell he was under.

"Yea they are. You ready to go?" he replied easily, not betraying the haze his mind was still currently in.

It was when he saw Jadeite get up out of the corner of his eye that he felt his calm demeanour start to give – way. He watched him approach her with love and concern oozing through every pore. He cupped her face gently and placed his forehead on hers. Mamoru's cool was almost gone.

"You'll do fine. I know you will." He whispered to her.

With her eyes closed she responded softly, "Thanks."

Mamoru had watched the interaction with a held breath and acute awareness of every move they made. But as he saw their parting kiss, he noticed it reeked of desperation from Jadeite's end as he tried to put over all his feelings into that one action; either not realising or actively ignoring her obvious unease.

A tingle of amusement went through him when Usagi pulled away from the kiss first, but Jadeite hid the surprise and sadness in a flash so no one else would see.

'Or so he thinks.' Mamoru thought to himself.

He knew Usagi. She had the ability to psych herself out no matter how well she had prepared for something. What she needed from Jadeite now...no what she needed from HIM...was a strong reinforcement of her abilities. Luckily for him, Jadeite didn't seem to know that and was babying her. He'd take the opportunity that was presenting itself and make sure Usagi was talked to the way she needed to be.

"Come on Usagi, it's time." He said.

Automatically his hand had extended, and when he realised what he had done he couldn't take it back as it would draw more suspicions than there probably were upon seeing this. But to his surprise, and probably everyone else's, Usagi walked towards him and took his hand. He wanted to gloat but knew he'd have enough time later, when she was officially his again, to do so. He led them out of the room then walked towards their destination. Then he took his chance.

"You're good you know. You wouldn't be here if you weren't."

"I know. It's just that this is the final stretch. We've worked so hard for this the past year and some and I wouldn't want anything to happen to throw it all down the drain. Especially not from our end." She said honestly.

"Some things never change." He said in between chuckling.

"You've been shaking since we left the others. You know what this reminds me of?" neither of them even registering the fact that they were still walking hand in hand.

"What?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"The day before your final accounts exam. You were a nervous wreck even though you had spent hours on end studying like there was no tomorrow! I think all the girls..."

She raised an eyebrow at him at that point, as she recalled the memory.

"Ahem...MOST of the girls and Motoki took their turn trying to calm you down. Nothing they said or did was working."

"Until later that night when we were alone." She finished.

They entered the empty board room. Still hand in hand he squeezed her hand for reassurance. Leading her over to the chairs he pointed her to the seat she would be taking to the right of him; he followed suit by taking his place at the head of the table.

"Usa, don't make me have to put you out of the room. You have played an integral part in this and I know you'd hate to miss the culmination of this project. But you know if I have to, I'll put your ass outside that door without a second thought if I get a hint you're going to cost us this."

From the time the words left his mouth he saw her visibly relax. It could be seen as sadistic in a way, the way she needed a bit of harshness to get her going; but he cherished the fact that it was something he knew and could do for her that no one else had apparently picked up on.

'Everyone except Kunzite.' His mind betrayed him.

As he tried to dispel the wayward thought she physically shook herself in an attempt to get rid of any of the nervous energy still within. It felt strangely gratifying to have Mamoru be the one to settle her the way that only he seemed capable of, but she'd never admit it to a soul. She knew Jadeite was trying his best with her, but at times like this when she was a mess it was always Mamoru her heart cried out for to comfort her.

"Ok I'm ready. Let's do this."

A couple hours later the room was completely empty again save for the same two occupants.

"I can't believe it's finally over." Usagi said with unbridled joy.

"I can't believe you did most of the talking after this morning's little show." Mamoru responded with equal feeling.

She playfully shoved him in the arm after the comment. "Whatever!"

"Thanks for this morning Mamoru. When I was in Osaka Kunzite knew exactly what to do."

He noticed her omission of Jadeite helping her and added another point to his score sheet against Jadeite. "Anytime Usa."

"Come on we've got some celebrating to do with the others responsible for making this happen." He said as he made his way to the door.

"You're not trying to get me drunk are you Mamoru?" she said with of look of fake shock on her face.

"But of course! How else will I be able to get you?"

Laughing they both exited the room in high spirits.

* * *

He was not known as a man that ignored his conscience, yet today he found himself doing exactly that. To say that he was now being eaten up inside would have been an understatement. He now felt physically sick at what he was doing. Why was he here? He knew but didn't want to believe he'd be here for such a reason.

"Hi Jadeite. I'm on time right?"

"Yea you are." He said giving her a once over.

She was beautiful in her own right and he couldn't deny that. Even as she stood here in front of him, he still didn't get the vibes from her that Usagi and Kunzite both seem to have told him about. Then he realised he was staring and not offering her a seat.

"Here. Please sit."

Doing the gentlemanly thing, he got up and pulled out the chair for her.

"Thank you." She said. Then she made what would appear to anyone to be an innocent statement.

"It's a wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

He merely laughed and nodded, not knowing why he couldn't simply refute it by telling her of Usagi, while Rei thought she had hit the jackpot. She smelled trouble in paradise.

"So how are you Jad? Can I call you Jad?" she asked.

"Sure most of my friends call me that anyway so I don't see why not." He chuckled out nervously. "And I'm fine. How are you?"

"Well so – so. I guess you would know a set back in plans can really get anyone down, but last night I got a call I hadn't expected so things seem to be getting back on track for the moment. It's really lifted my spirits."

There was a serene, innocent quality about her like this that made him doubt Usagi and Kunzite even more. Maybe they were covering for each other.

'But why would Motoki and Minako cover for them?' he pondered. It was all so confusing to him; and with the way his mind was formulating questions without answering them he had forgotten the primary reason he had wanted to meet with her. They instead spent time chatting up a storm, which made the questions he was asking come all the more as they sat together. Ever so slightly, he was starting to lean towards the side of him which suggested that maybe his girlfriend and their best friend were hiding something. What, he didn't have the faintest idea about; but they were.

"We should meet like this more often Jad. It's nice to be away from work a while and talk something other than business."

"I know the feeling. Luckily I had today off so I figured why not call you up and chill for a bit."

As he said it, it made his chest pull tighter. He knew the reason Kunzite had allowed him to be out today was because it was Usagi's big day and he had wanted to be there for her. They both did. But only one could be there so Kunzite gave him permission to do as such. When she'd left hand in hand with her former lover it pricked him into action. He'd already invited Rei out the next time she was free, so he gave her the heads up as he left to meet him back where they had originally met. He figured that during the day it wouldn't have the romantic air it carried at night so it would have been fine.

"How about we make this a ritual? We meet for lunch anytime we are free at the same time."

"Fine by me. I enjoyed this so thank you."

"Anytime Jad."

Going their separate ways they were unaware of a pair of eyes which had been watching their encounter.

* * *

Upon entering his office he saw the red light on his phone flashing indicating a message. Without thinking about it too much he played the voicemail. Seemed he had a lot of congratulations from his parents, who had been out of the city, and a few business associates. Then one message in particular caught his attention.

He smirked and shook his head.

"I guess they weren't lying." He said laughing. "This calls for another celebration."

Taking the bottle of champagne he had brought with him from their mini party before, he opened it and poured himself a glass.

"To the new Mrs. Chiba Mamoru: who is and shall forever be mine."

* * *

It was surprising to her that the house was still dark. She didn't know where Jadeite had disappeared to today, but she figured he had work to do so she thought nothing of it. Motoki and Mina had gone shopping until she was finished and were able to indulge in the celebrations with her, Mamoru and the others. Nostalgia had crept in amongst them all and they felt like they had before. For now they forgot everything that had come between them and enjoyed the moment for what it was.

Taking off her jacket she flung it over the back of the couch, quickly followed by her shoes which were left right where she stood; too tired to bother with the untidy state she'd had to clean up later. Something caught her eye on the floor.

"Ugh. You'd think these postal workers would realise that I have a mailbox for a reason."

She went over and picked it up, and was ready to discard it on the table with the other mail when something told her to open it. She didn't understand the feeling since she assumed it was just another bill. But being in business she was accustomed to going with her gut feeling on certain things. Opening the envelope she eyes quickly scanned the contents. Quietly she walked over to her phone and dialled one number.

"Kunz are you too busy for me?"

"Am I ever?" he replied on the other end.

"Well there was this one time..."

"Shut up Usa. Are you going to come or am I coming to you?"

"I'll come over since you're still at work."

With that conversation over she picked up her phone, put on her sandals and left.

* * *

The ringing of the doorbell brought her out of her revere. She really wasn't up for any company; her mind was ticking over and interruptions of any sort were not welcome at this point. Opening the door she was ready to give her visitor a piece of her mind.

"I see you're holding up your end of the bargain."

"Don't I always?"

"True. The whole double crossing, back stabbing thing is your area of expertise after all so I don't really expect any less."

Once again his open opinions of her cut at her core. But she refused to let it show. It only served to reinforce what she was already going to do. His arrogance, and the blasé way in which he openly spoke of her like she was nothing was like the final nail in his coffin, hammered in himself. He always got what he wanted, treated people as he wished, but she was going to give him a taste of his own medicine. She'd snatch everything he had set his eyes on when they started and dangle it in front of him just far enough to be out of his reach.

"Is there any real purpose to you being here Mamoru?" Rei asked testily.

"Temper, temper. You wouldn't want your little boy to find out the true you now. You're not the only one that can do this job so don't get testy with me Rei." He said standing directly over her.

"You're an arrogant ass Mamoru. No wonder Usagi left you all those years ago."

Thinking she'd struck a nerve when his response was silence she began to smirk; but was thoroughly surprised when he returned it.

"You the same arrogant ass you've wanted all these years?"

She had shock written all over her face.

"Oh don't give me that bullshit Rei. Everyone knew. Hell even Usagi probably knew. But she's not a bitch like you so she didn't treat you the way most people think you deserve."

Flesh against flesh sounded, as Rei connected her palm with his cheek. His head had swung to the side from the momentum but he simply laughed and turned to face her again. Suddenly he was face to face with her and she could feel his breath. Then in an instant, he was kissing her. Full on and passionate. He pulled her close to his body and let his hands roam her body as they stood pressed against each other. Then as quickly as it happened it was over. He had pulled away and she felt ashamed for the way in which she responded to him so easily.

"Always remember Rei: I know your weakness. You're greedy just like me and I'm not afraid to use it against you Princess."

She shuddered because she knew he wasn't bluffing which made it all the more important that she do what she had to do without getting under his skin or letting him get a sniff at her true intentions.

"Oh by the way. Nice job today. Keep up the good work."

With that he headed for the door and left of his own accord.

"I hate that man!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Hating herself for the display before. But she'd be damned if it ever happened again. Now a bit more determined she went back to thinking.

'Yes I will definitely make the both of them hurt.'

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**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Review and let me know...and remember I'm writing incrementally so I'll work on it as fast as I can! Ja ne until the next chapter! :)**


	14. And it keeps getting better

**Hi! A Christmas gift to my readers! How are you all? Another update...as usual I hope you enjoy! **

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There was the proof sitting right in front of him. It angered him and scared him at the same time.

"I don't understand Kunz: what have I done that would make him go off with another woman when today was my big day?"

He sat in silence, not knowing how to respond. All that was going through his mind was an ancient Chinese torture method he had read about.

"I mean, have I done something wrong? Is there something wrong with me?"

That whipped him into action. "Usa you know there is nothing wrong with you. Whatever problems, there are with that shit for brains boyfriend you have."

"Yea I sure know how to pick them. I can't decide which is worse: Mamoru and his evident lack of trust, or Jadeite and his lack of love."

"Speaking of which," he started in an attempt to change the conversation, "how did today go?"

"It was fabulous! You should have been there Kunz! Everything went smoothly, everyone was happy. Of course there's still one outstanding but it's minor since we drafted a new contract with one business who wasn't originally supposed to have agreed, so we just need to get copies to all interested parties."

"Really? That's not the story I was told."

With her puzzled expression he continued on. "I was told there was someone freaking out, couldn't control her nerves and started screaming at everyone. What happened to her?"

Blowing a raspberry at him she answered, "Well if you must know, she calmed down and performed her role in stellar fashion during the meeting."

"Oh wow, is that so? Any reason you calmed down so quickly?"

She knew what he was trying to hint at and she nibbled at the bait.

"Yes my colleague and I had a bit of a chat just before the meeting started which helped a lot. Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"You're falling for him again." He said plainly.

"What?" she exclaimed in shock. "I am not!"

"What other reason is there? You act as if nothing ever happened between you two. In fact, I would bet th..."

"Shut up Kunz." She said cutting him off. There was a bit of venom in her voice because she knew where he was head, and she knew it would be right.

Knowing he struck a nerve he pressed on. "Come on Usa, this is me you're talking to. Be honest with me and with yourself. Are you beginning to feel again?"

She stayed silent, which forced him to press on. "Well, are you?"

Still she refused to say anything, and turned away from him. It simply confirmed what he had already suspected.

"Usa. This is dangerous. You and I both know it. He'll hurt you again."

"God don't you think I know that!" she said as she spun to face him. "How do you think I feel. I've been trying to ignore this for the past couple months but it's not easy. Do you know what it's like when you're own boyfriend can't comfort you, and the only one who can is the one you profess to "dislike"?"

Her face was flushed showing her obvious tension and displeasure. He didn't want to press that matter anymore after seeing her, but she continued on. The flood gates had opened.

"I've been sitting around hoping and praying that these awaken feelings would just go away in a poof of magic, yet that's not happening. I can't escape that man no matter how hard I try. And now, NOW I have to deal with a boyfriend who is probably cheating on me. Does this look like I am enjoying this tussle Kunz? I'm not!"

He could find nothing comfort her so he just went with what he thought would be the safe route.

"Come on Usa. I don't think he knows that is Rei so it may not be as bad as it looks."

Before he realised exactly what he'd said the words were already out in the open.

Stunned, Usagi stared dumbfounded at her best friend.

"What...did you just say?" she said slowly.

There was no going back and he knew lying to her further would only make it worse so he tried to come clean.

"I said..."

"I know what you said!" she screamed. "What I want to know is how do you know who that is when we can't see her face. And don't lie to me Kunzite."

The use of his full name meant he was in a boat load of trouble, he knew. So he tried to break the news as easily as possible.

"There were a few times, that I honestly knew of, where Jadeite and Rei were out together. It started the night when you were supposed to be at the restaurant for dinner; that's when they supposedly met according to him. Then they had lunch and dinner a few times. I don't know exactly when but that's all I was able to get out of him when I confronted him."

"When did you find out?"

"The night I came over and you told me Jadeite wasn't home yet. He hadn't been at work either but I didn't want to say that in case I missed something and caused unnecessary confusion. I let it lay dormant for a bit to see if he would say anything, but not getting anything from him I went to him myself. That's when he admitted to meeting her the night he went to change the reservation, and had seen her a couple times, including the night I came over. I told him who she was and that he needed to stop seeing her. I even told him to tell you about having lunch with a friend but to avoid calling her name so as to avoid upsetting you. He said he wouldn't unless I told him who she was. I refused and we really haven't spoken since for any prolonged period unless it was absolutely important."

Through it all her face had remained unchanged. She had returned to a cool state through his explanation, and had managed to maintain it throughout. He had taught her as such, but it was still strange to see her without a touch of emotion on her face after everything he had just told her.

"Very well Kunzite. You know I'd expect this from everyone. Anyone else, and this would be fine; but you, you have absolutely broken all trust I had in you."

"I know Usa, but I did this to avoid any unnecessary hurt if you'd found out."

"Bull shit Kunzite! Bull shit! You think I'm some helpless girl? I may have been like that years ago here and in Osaka but I'm not anymore. I'm going now."

He knew there was nothing he could say at this moment to make it right so he simply nodded in acknowledgement and allowed her to leave.

She was right about one thing. The Usagi he knew would have left in a flurry of tears and in a state of emotional turmoil. He didn't know why he still treated her as the soft, broken girl he had seen back then. But he didn't dwell on that for too long. He turned his attention and rage to the one person who was at the root of this.

"Jadeite."

* * *

"Is there a reason you're calling me this late?"

"Would I ever without a valid reason?"

"Well start spilling or talk to me in the morning."

"Fine sourpuss. First of all I called home and since you didn't wake up and answer with this grumpy tone as always I knew something was up. And secondly, you wouldn't believe who I ran into this evening!"

"First of all, where I am is none of your business, and second of all, tell me now or tell me in the morning."

"Gosh Usa what's got you in such a pissy mood?"

"Nothing. I'm gone now since you have nothing to say."

"Wait wait wait..." Mina managed to get out before Usagi cut her off the line. "I saw Ami today."

"Big whoop Mina. I've seen her around as well."

"But guess who she was with."

"Ok I'm intrigued a bit. Continue."

"I knew that would get you."

"Mina..." Usagi said in a threatening manner.

"Ok, ok. She was with Rei."

Silence greeted her. That was partly what she expected. Little did she know that a million thoughts were going through Usagi's head on the other side of the line.

"Say something to me Usa."

"I have to go Mina." And with that she hung up the phone and sped off from her little spot underneath an oak tree.

* * *

Mamoru sat in his apartment lounging doing nothing in particular. He sat basking in the glow of the moonlight as it shone through his opened door. Thinking over his accomplishments again his mind wandered in a new direction. Well for him it wasn't completely new.

'What if I hadn't paid attention to Rei back then?' he questioned himself.

'What if I had just listened to Usako? It was an obvious situation and I'm smarter than the average person, so why did I let Rei and her lies blind me to the point where that overrode any form of common sense I have?'

As he thought it through his mind drew up images of how he and Usagi would have been if they had been together all those years.

"We'd be almost inseparable now." He said as he smacked his leg. "She's absolutely gorgeous now and she's got a brain like mine to match. And her being with Jadeite is just wasting a perfect woman."

He grew silent again, closing his eyes to let the images filter through his mind; enjoying them as they all played this time. After what seemed like an eternity to him, such was his bliss at the moment, a rapid knock drew him out of his daze.

"Mamoru it's me! Open up!"

The voice was unmistakeable and it whipped him into action. He opened the door with sweaty palms with all the nerves of a jittery prepubescent boy at the thought of her being outside her door.

"Usa, what's the matter."

She pushed pass him not waiting for an invitation. "Guess who I saw together."

He thought nothing of the mini – intrusion, being quite happy with her presence inside his apartment. It fell perfectly into the fantasy world which had just played in his mind. This for him was like his wife coming home with the latest gossip after they had both had a hard day at work. So he carried on with the fairy tale.

"Who?"

"My 'boyfriend' and Rei. Can you believe it? Rei is after my boyfriend! She seems to be making it a personal thing to take people away from me."

Mamoru had to try to keep his face straight while internally he was jumping for joy. 'So she got my gift.'

"What? Where? Why?" he said, trying to sound as surprised as he could.

"I don't know. I don't even want to know. NOTHING good can come from it, of that I'm certain."

And it's then when she allowed herself to finally feel the weight of the situation. She was immediately hit by the fact that, in her opinion, another boyfriend was being coerced and lied to by Rei; this led to an assault by the old suppressed feelings from Mamoru. She stumbled into his two – seater and silently cried.

Now this part he couldn't take. As ruthless as he was, this was a different territory. This seemed to truly crush her, and while at the beginning this was the exact state he wanted her to be in, things had changed and now he wanted her to simply dump Jadeite and run straight to him. No complications, no questions. In his mind now, Usagi belonged to no one else by him.

But as much as he hated this, he knew it was necessary, and getting his feelings in the way would prove his downfall. He needed to wait until Rei had done her part. The upside to this, he thought, was that he knew for sure that Jadeite couldn't console her. Slipping into the role of concerned friend he sat next to her. He wrapped an arm around her, and drew her back into the two – seater with him. She rested on him and he revelled in another victory. Something no one ever thought was possible was happening. Now it was to win the war and keep her here like this.

After a while his eyes fluttered open slowly. He didn't remember falling asleep but the feeling of the weight on his chest made him cast his eyes downward. A golden mane was the sight that greeted him and everything came back to him. Looking at the clock on the wall Mamoru realised that it was now just after midnight. He needed to get Usagi home so that Jadeite would have no reason to be upset at her, and would also have no inkling that she knew about him and Rei. Then an idea hit him. He found Usagi's cell which she had simply kept in her hand and had now lay in her limp hand. Checking through it he found the number and dialled.

'Please let this work.'

"Usa? Where are you? I called to apologise but you weren't home." The voice said hastily.

"It's not Usa Kunzite. It's me."

"Mamoru? What's Usagi doing with you?"

"Relax Kunzite. She came here a bit flustered and she started to cry so she's here resting on one of my chairs."

To Mamoru however, this meant one thing. 'He knew about Rei and Jadeite and never said anything.' It was another point scored for him.

"So she's still there."

"Yes. She really didn't say much, I could just see she was upset." Choosing his next words carefully he continued to explain. "She basically cried herself to sleep before I could really say anything so I just let her. I just didn't realise that I had fallen to sleep as well so here I am calling you to come get her. I don't think Jadeite would appreciate her being here or me dropping her home so that's why I'm calling you to pick her up."

It sounded reasonable enough. And Kunzite actually had to credit Mamoru. The Mamoru he knew would have either kept Usagi at his home or taken her home to get Jadeite riled up, especially since he knew that they had at least had to have had a fight.

"Ok tell me where you are and I'll come and get her. Thanks Mamoru." The words sounded strange to his ears but it was the right thing to do now.

"No problem Kunzite."

After they hung up, Mamoru went over to where Usagi was. Standing over her he took in every part of her. He didn't know how long he stood there but it seemed like no less than a minute later than he heard a knock on his door.

"Mamoru it's me."

He called Kunzite every name in the book on his way over to the door. But his time would come and he didn't mind giving her up now. Opening up he moved back to allow him entry.

"She's over here."

Kunzite looked down at her and sighed. He'd have a lot of making up to do but he was glad he could start now. He didn't want to take her home to Jadeite though. He'd take her to his house and make sure he got back on good terms with her before she went to Jadeite. With his mind made up he carefully scooped her up and carried her bridal style towards the door.

"Thanks again Mamoru. This will mean a lot to Jadeite and me."

"Don't worry about it. I know this would be what she would have wanted so it's no problem.

"While we're on this we have to try to get her to lose a few pounds. She's not as light as she used to be."

The two men shared a hearty laugh at the light joke.

"I'll be sure to tell her. Once you're giving the eulogy at my funeral the next day."

Another laugh was shared by the two and then they parted company.

"By the looks of things Jadeite, this will be a clean sweep. Keep it up Jad."

With a last laugh to himself he prepared himself for bed.

'This just keeps getting better.'

* * *

**Jadeite's in hot water...so is Kunzite...only person in Usagi's good graces at this point is Mamoru **

**and what exactly is Mamoru up to now? **

**Stay tuned! Sorry for the long wait! As I said before I have NOT forgotten this story. Read and Review as usual! I love all your thoughts...Merry Christmas to everyone and may God bless you all :)**


	15. Put a little love in your heart

**Hi all! I come baring the gift of another chapter! Moving steadily along with some Mamoru/Usagi development ^_^ enjoy! **

**

* * *

**"So I take it she saw the pictures I took and left for her."

"Yup. And we got the desired reaction as well. All in all I would say it was a well executed plan. Now we just watch the fireworks."

"Don't get over excited as yet. Remember who we are dealing with. She may have grown a pair while she was gone but Usagi's still a very kind and understanding person when it comes to those she loves. We've got to wait until the exact moment to pounce, and in the meantime we set up everything so that there's no room for any of them to manoeuvre."

"Too true. I've had to wait too long for this and absolutely nothing will stop me now. Not even you so don't even think about it at any time." Rei said while eyeing her company.

"Relax Rei. Once you keep your claws out of Mamoru I'll be fine. Besides, Jadeite is not my type so you can definitely keep him."

They both glared at each other for a bit before turning away.

"What's the plan for today Ami?"

"I had planned to pass through and see Mamoru. I want to see how happy he is thinking he's in control of this whole thing. It'll hurt to crush him like this, but I will be there to pick up the pieces." Ami said with a devious smile.

"Does he know that he hired your "guy" to snap some pictures for him?"

"No. Mamoru is too busy gloating to even question anything that's going on. For him the job is being done and that's all he's worried about. That's why I told you it would be best for us to work together and do it right in front of him – he's not looking for it, and his ego will not let him see anything else but a win."

"Ha. Typical Mamoru. You have A LOT of cleaning up to do with the way this is playing out Ami, but I'm sure you are more than up to the challenge." Rei said giving her a wink.

"What are your plans today Rei?"

"I have to keep on Jadeite now that Usagi is keeping her distance and spending more time with Mamoru. He's still completely unaware of why there was a sudden change in her behaviour. I think she still has the pictures in her possession. This is fine actually since it plays right into our hands. Plus I think he knows about our little past with Usagi. He seems a bit more fidgety than the first time we met, and a bit guiltier."

"He's brave. If she really has that would be even better. Jadeite won't have an excuse when Usagi confronts him eventually about the pictures with you."

"I know. And for safety purposes I kept the texts he sent to me, inviting me out. Just to show that he initiates all the contact, all the while I'm oblivious to the fact that she's with him. Pulling off the innocent act isn't hard; it will be pulling it off while trying not to break down in a fit of laughter at how they will fall all over themselves."

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

Both women jumped at the voice of the other person who had joined the table. They looked up to see Makoto staring down at them. Neither was sure if she had heard them, so they played it safely.

"Kino – san. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"You two being seen together is enough for me to worry. And if I'm right Usagi is involved in whatever conversation you're having."

They both raised an eyebrow at her as the staring match continued.

"Stay away from her." Makoto warned.

"Is that a threat?" Rei asked sarcastically.

"Not at all princess. In fact, it was merely a simple statement. Take it as you wish." She replied with a smile.

"Oh you're trying to get on her good side. What makes you think Usagi will want to be friends with you after what you did?" Ami asked with a chuckle.

"Nope. Wrong. I'm merely taking the high road this time whether Usagi is my friend or not. When she was my friend I took your side and lost her over a prissy bitch's need to get a man who didn't want her. So let me take a wild guess here: Usagi and Mamoru are getting close again and neither of you can stand it, so instead of working separately you came together for 'the common good'."

Both remained silent.

"As I said, leave her alone."

With that Makoto walked away and left them sitting watching her walk out.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yea someone needs to get laid."

Laughing they continued a casual lunch until they went their separate ways.

* * *

The sound of her office door opening made her look up from her work. She saw Kunzite peering in and sighed. She was honestly tired of being upset with him. Going over everything in her head she understood why he handled the situation how he did. It wasn't right, but he did have her well being in mind. They hadn't spoken since that night and she knew it was probably driving him insane. Putting down her pen she gave him a soft smile to get this encounter off on the right note.

"Have a seat Kunz." Usagi said warmly.

With those two gestures Kunzite relaxed in an instant and took the chair right in front of her desk. It had been a few weeks and he didn't want to be presumptuous about his place in her life right now.

"How have you been keeping Usa?" he started.

"Well, work has slowed down a bit now that everything major has been completed. Late nights aren't as common. Outside of work, my life is a mess. I left this place to get away from heartache. I come back after being at peace for years and in no time at all it's started all over again. In all honesty I think I'm ready to go back to Osaka."

"Wow."

"Sorry I know I just off loaded. I've wanted to tell that to someone for a long time."

"Then I guess you haven't had any contact with Jadeite since then."

"No. I go over to Mina's after work and come home only to sleep. That has been my routine."

"When do you plan to? You will have to at some point."

"I know. I've been pushing it off for as long as possible." She sat back in her chair, and looked toward the ceiling as if searching for a sign from above.

Kunzite just sat and watched her. He knew she'd talk when she was ready, and he was always willing to sit and give her a listening ear for however long she needed. It was amazing to him however, how quickly they fell back into their usual routine after a bit of tension.

'It seems like just yesterday I was protecting her from the fallout between her and Mamoru. I gave her to Jadeite and now the same thing is happening.'

Kunzite was mentally scolding himself as he watched her.

"Usa."

As he called her name her eyes still stayed trained on the ceiling.

"Would you like me to come when you do it? I can be with you if you need support."

"That's fine. I need to do it on my own. I had you by my side last time, and I don't know if I can repay you for that. But this time I have to do it alone. Face my demons. If I can't handle it well afterwards I'll come to you first. Promise." She finished by looking him straight in the eye

He looked a bit disappointed, she could tell. Kunzite was accustomed to being the protector. It's why she understood why he did what he did. He was now the father who had watched his little girl grow up and now he felt like he wasn't needed to shield her from the big bad world.

She got up from behind the desk, walked over to him and gently placed a kiss on his forehead. She then sat on the edge of the desk directly in front of him. He sighed and lowered his eyes.

"Something told me you should have stayed in Osaka. You could have worked with another firm. You're brilliant and no one would have turned you down."

"You can't save me from everything Kunz." She said with a wry smile on her face. "How about this: you get to say whatever you want to him, except a murder threat, when I'm done."

He laughed out loud at the suggestion, knowing she was trying to cheer him up. Playing along he asked, "How do you expect me to do this without threatening murder at least once?"

"You tell me." She responded.

When the laughter died down he stared at her intently. He wasn't sure if he was prepared for the answer but he had to ask.

"Do you honestly want to go back to Osaka?"

"Honestly? I want to leave here. I've talked to Motoki and Minako, and even though they don't want me to they understand."

"What about Mamoru?"

"I don't know. I've finally come to terms with the reality of the fact that I still love him; probably always will. I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I can probably guarantee he won't like the idea."

"Are you two looking to get back together?"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "No Kunz. I'm not ready for anything given our history and what has happened now. I need time to myself for a long time. When I am ready I doubt he will still be interested in me."

"Are you high or drunk? I may not be his biggest fan and I may not ever be fully comfortable with the idea of you and him together, but he loves you. At least let him know your intentions."

"I know. We really have to talk and sort through our own mess; at least for my own peace of mind."

"You know I'll lose you. And I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too Kunz. I'll call you soon to let you know how it all goes down."

They embraced each other for a few seconds. Kunzite pulled her tightly to his body and buried his face in her hair. For a few more minutes they stayed like that until another person entered the room.

"Sorry I didn't mean to intrude." Mamoru said. He was slightly embarrassed but slightly jealous at the same time. Not the jealousy he felt before; this was more a wanting to be the only one who got to hold her and comfort her.

They looked around at the same time without coming out of the embrace.

"Uh… Usa we have a dinner date with a new potential investor remember?"

"Oh my gosh I totally forgot! Kunz we'll finish this later ok?" she said hurriedly, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"No problem. I have some business to sort out at home anyways." He said giving her a wink.

"Gross Kunz. Just gross."

He laughed and turned to walk out of the office. He nodded to Mamoru in a form of acknowledgement. If Usagi was getting close to him again Kunzite knew he'd at least have to start being cordial with him again. The gesture was returned and Kunzite left.

"Can you take me home first? I don't really want to go dressed like this."

"No problem. We've got some time to spare."

After dinner on the way back from the restaurant, Usagi grew suspicious when she realised the route they were taking.

"How come we're going to your apartment Mamoru – chan?"

Knowing she would realise sooner or later he was just up front with her. He pulled over and stopped the engine. "I want to talk to you about you going back to Osaka."

She was shocked into silence at first since she didn't know he had heard them. "I… I didn't know…"

"I know. I was coming to get you when I heard. I just gave you time to wrap up your conversation with Kunzite before I barged in."

"And?" she said as she twiddled her thumbs nervously.

"I'll go with you. I'll wait for you Usako." He started as he turned to face her.

He put his finger under her chin and turned her face to him. He stared directly into her eyes.

"I love you Usako. Always have; always will. I will wait for you, I'll go slow if you want me to. But please let me go with you."

"Mamoru…"

"I know we have our problems to work out first but give me the chance to. Please."

"I… I don't know. I'm trying to start over and I don't know if I can handle another relationship any time soon."

"As I said Usa, I'll wait for you. Just please don't leave me again."

She knew the longer she stayed like this she'd cave, but she couldn't help it.

"I still have to end things with Jadeite. I can't take the secrecy and the lying." She said with tears threatening to spill over. "Let me do that first and then we'll make a decision on us."

Pecking her nose, he smiled at her. He was finally winning. Usagi was going to be his and he had the additional benefit of getting to disappear with her in another city.

"Let's get you home Usako."

* * *

**Soooo? what do you think? Read and review please! I read them all...**

**and we'll be getting more into the meat of it from now on...Ja ne! hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	16. Honesty is the best policy

**Hola! I present to you the gift of another Chapter! I thank you all for the reviews and I take them into consideration (as someone will see lol)... I hope you enjoy it ^_^**

* * *

Sitting alone on their bed, she felt strangely calm given what was to come. The rain fell softly against the roof above; a slight rolling of thunder sounded in the distance, giving the air a feeling of expectancy. For her it adequately expressed what was going on inside – an outward manifestation of her inner silent turmoil.

"Are you ready?"

Usagi visibly jumped at the question.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine Mina. What time is it?"

"It's just after 9. Why?"

"Heh. He's still not home yet. I guess I know where he is, or at least who he's with." She gave an audible sigh. "You know Mina; I'm starting to think this is all my fault. Well some of it."

"Get off that train Usa. How could you blame yourself for his apparent indiscretions? I won't let you do that to yourself."

"Just think about it. I was with Mamoru, we had our 'fun' but we never, you know, went there. Then he leaves me. Same thing with Jadeite. What's the common factor in both relationships? Me. Maybe I should have..."

"No Usa!" Mina cut her off. "Stop thinking like that. Let's get one thing straight. You shouldn't give yourself to a man to keep him; so if they left for that reason that's THEIR issue and not yours. Secondly, the common factor I see in all of this is Rei. She is a jealous, cold bitch who would stop at nothing to ruin you. She's never liked you and once Mamoru gave his attention to you and not her there's always been this personal vendetta she's had against you. You can't let her win Usa."

"Mina, this isn't some school girl competition. I want sanity and peace of mind when I sleep. I don't want to worry about things like this...this whole situation...ANYTHING...at any point in my life. Normal relationship troubles I want. THOSE, I can handle. I want to wake up and trip up over his boxers and shoes that he left in the middle of the room because he's too lazy or tired at times to pick up after himself."

By this time she had moved to stand by the window but her voice was still soft. Her eyes were swollen with unshed tears, as she stood with her arms around herself for comfort. Her composure slipped ever so slightly letting one solitary stream down her face. As if the gods heard her pain, a rain drop coursed down the window in synch with her tear.

"I think I just want to confront them both and then go. Start over again, you know. I thought I had grown out of these insecurities but this has shown me that I've still got some work to do on me. I don't think I'm ready for a relationship Mina."

She wiped the other tears which had made their way down her face with her palms.

"Usa." Mina started while moving to sit on the sport Usagi had vacated on the bed. "You know Motoki and I support you no matter what you choose. That hasn't changed. If you need to go to feel better, I'd rather you do that than feel miserable here. You hardly ever sounded like this when you called from Osaka and that's the Usa I want."

Laughing a bit Usagi walked back over to Mina, who stood and met her halfway. The two embraced tightly as some girlish giggling could be heard.

"I love you Usa."

"I love you too Mina."

"So, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"I'll leave you to your work. Call and let me know what happens ok?"

"Thanks Mina. Lock the door on your way out."

* * *

A sharp knock on the door caught Motoki's attention.

'Can't that person read the sign?' He thought angrily.

Another knock came, this time more persistent and louder than the first. Motoki, growing more frustrated with each sound, threw the towel on the counter and headed to the offending noise. As he neared the door he settled down a bit, as he heard footsteps starting to move away. Risking a peep through the venetian blinds, he saw the back of the late night intruder when a wave of familiarity hit him. He opened the door in haste and rushed outside.

"Mamoru-kun!" he yelled while waving vigorously. He smiled broadly when Mamoru turned sharply on his heel and looked in his direction. Mamoru walked back to where he was a few minutes ago coming face to face with his once best friend.

"Sorry I didn't know it was you out here. I should have figured it was someone I knew when they knock despite the closed sign." Motoki said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"That's ok. I probably should have said something to let you know it was me." Mamoru replied, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Let's go inside." Motoki offered, while opening the door wider to allow Mamoru in. He locked the door behind him and walked towards the bar where Mamoru had already taken a seat.

"So..." Mamoru started. "It's been a while."

"Yea it has. How have you been?"

"Just taking everything one day at a time. Have a lot on my plate at the moment; couldn't think of anyone else to turn to at the moment." Mamoru said honestly with his eyes to the counter.

"Let me take one guess at who this has to do with." Motoki replied with a snicker.

With a wry smile himself Mamoru responded, "Is there any other?" Still not looking up to face Motoki.

"Firstly tell me why I should help you with anything which involves her. On an honest level." He said with a serious look on his face.

Mamoru sighed audibly. He knew this moment would have inevitably come at some point. No amount of mental preparation had prepared him for actually having to face Motoki. He had hurt the only person who, at that time, was closer to Motoki than he was. If there was any time to make things right, it would have been now.

"I know saying I'm sorry won't erase everything that has happened, and I really don't want to sound cliché, but you've got to know how sorry I am for it all. I don't want to use my age as an excuse, and I won't; age doesn't make someone mean any less to you. Unfortunately it's taken me too long to realise what was in front of me before. I mean, I've always been hard headed, but this whole...thing," he said while moving his right hand in a circular motion above his head, "probably takes the cake."

"You are known to be stubborn, I'll admit." Motoki interjected.

"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Hey I'm just saying." Motoki said with a laugh and shrug.

"Yea and if you weren't you I'd probably have hit you upside the head."

"Temper, temper, Mamoru. I wouldn't want such a violent man around my Usa." He said with a big smile on his face.

He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't help the feeling of jealousy that hit when anyone else addressed Usagi as theirs. It was like an automatic reaction that couldn't have been avoided no matter how hard he tried.

"Gosh you know we aren't anything like that Mamoru."

That caught his attention, causing him to snap his head up to look directly at Motoki. Surprise was written all over his face.

"Wow it really has been long. You forgot no matter how stoic you try to be I have always been able to read you like a book. Plus I know you better than anyone, maybe except Usa. And I know, from experience, how you possessive you can be. But gosh Mamoru, you have GOT to stop that. If you want me to be ok with any sort of relationship between you and Usa then you have got to find a way to control this, or you'll end up where you were a few years ago. She's a grown woman, and despite all this drama I can tell how much she still loves and cares for you. How long do you think she is going to stay around, God forbid you two do end up together, if you go around insulting or hitting friends who say the wrong thing about her?"

"I know! Don't you think I know that Motoki? I know! But it's so damn infuriating." He ran his hands up over his face then through his shiny, black mane. "I sit every day and think of where we could be if I hadn't been such a giant ass. Yes I admit it so please shut your eyes and mouth some." He spun on the bar stool. The soft rain had made it down their side; its gentle pitter patter contrasted with the fire raging just under the surface of the black haired wonder at the bar counter. "She's amazing. After everything I've done she still talks to me. The fact that she even took this job when she knew what it meant says a lot. I can't even begin to describe what she's doing to me."

Now it was Motoki's turn to sigh. "Mamoru, we were always like brothers. If you had doubts about Usa, even if you couldn't go to her, why didn't you come to me?"

"Do you really think I would have believed you? To be quite frank, I don't think anything would have changed my mind. I'm pathetic for not being able to think for myself. I let Rei... of all people I let Rei, control what I saw and thought. Usa is everything I could possibly want; and seeing how far we've both come is actually making me sick thinking about how she goes home to someone else who doesn't deserve her."

"What has Jadeite done to warrant you saying that?"

"Cause..." he had to stop himself before he said the wrong thing. "He's not me. That's why."

Mamoru hung his head slightly. It wasn't what was supposed to originally have come out in response to Motoki, but it had. And it was true. All at once he was bombarded by the different feelings he had been suppressing for years; the love for Usagi, the hurt and jealousy at seeing someone else being able to make her laugh, the shame and pain when he realised his mistake, his unadulterated joy when she walked into his office that morning, and the pleasure of knowing she still felt the same. A genuine smile graced his face for the first time in ages. The good feeling didn't last as long as he had hoped. Dread and guilt soon made themselves known, as Mamoru remembered the plans he'd set in motion to get back at Usagi which were about to come to fruition. There was nothing he could do now to stop it; he could only hope Rei got caught up with Jadeite and left them alone. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, and had it been anyone else but Motoki sitting there he would have done everything in his power to make sure they didn't fall. At the moment he wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that someone else was going to see him in his moment of weakness. He felt a weight on his shoulder for a second before realising it was Motoki who had rested his hand on his shoulder as a silent show of support.

"No one would ever believe you if you told them you saw me cry so I'm not worried if you tell anyone." Mamoru said jokingly trying to ease the tension.

"I can be convincing." Motoki said in the same vain. "Are you going to make me beg to find out what brought them on?"

"I thought you knew me oh so well?" Mamoru said, looking at him through the remnant of tears with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you have been known to keep your share of secrets from me." Motoki said half jokingly, but half seriously.

They both fell silent. The rain had gotten heavier outside which made Mamoru question his judgment in leaving his car home and taking the walk to "enjoy the night air". Mamoru was the first to speak up.

"So will you help?

"Help you with what? Motoki said ignorantly. Mamoru looked at him like he had lost a few screws and suddenly he was back on track. "Oh!" he took a deep breath, knowing he'd kick himself if this didn't work out between them. "The only way I'm going to be ok with this is if you can show me that you won't be a jealous son of a bitch. Control your anger. Then I'll be fine. Until then I'm against you even making any sort of move on her. She's still with Jadeite so don't make her any more confused than she probably already is. When SHE gives you the go ahead then you can make a move. Maybe the time will give you a chance to learn some patience and it'll be easy to learn to control that little green guy in you."

He didn't know if he should have been happy or sad, but he felt a bit of the former creep through his system, knowing that the inevitable break up was just around the corner. He still had to cross his fingers and toes that everything went smoothly. Victory was around the corner; so close he could almost feel Usagi's warm body against his as he comforted her and made promises only for her to hear. He could smell the products she'd use in her hair to keep it as soft as it was. He could feel her smooth, velvet skin against his as he pressed his lips against her forehead, doting his love on her. It made him anxious, as heat went through his body with the course his mind was taking. He knew he had to get home before Motoki realised what has happening.

"I'll try. For Usako, I'll try." He said finally responding to Motoki. "Thanks Motoki."

Standing, Mamoru offered his hand; hoping his clothes and coat were doing an effective job of hiding the reaction his body was having. Motoki took it, the men shaking hands firmly and giving a pat on the back.

"If you need to talk you know where I'll be." Motoki said eagerly. Mamoru was already opening the door and merely raised a hand to signal that he had heard him.

"And make sure the water is as cold as possible."

Mamoru stopped dead in his tracks without turning around, but laughed heartily at the realisation that he had been caught. Not daring to turn around he shook his head in acknowledgement and was on his way.

* * *

She had been waiting for what seemed like hours, when finally there was the sound of keys jingling outside the door. Getting up as lady like as she could manage in her haste she made her way to the front door as quickly as she could. Opening the door she found exactly who she had been hoping to see.

"Finally Jadeite! Where have you been?" she asked as calmly as possible, trying not to let him know she knew.

Jadeite however was like a deer in headlights. He hadn't bargained on her presence. Whether she was still out or asleep, he didn't think she'd be here greeting him at the door.

"Usa. I..."

"Jad can I use your bathroom please? I don't think I can..."

* * *

**LOL not much of a cliffy...or is it meant to be one... and yes Mamoru seems to be out of his stupor (thank God!), but does Usa want the same thing now?**

**I hope you enjoyed it... As always PLZ read and review... it means a lot to me... **


	17. Califonia Queen Bed

**Hi All! Let me start by apologising for my laptop...it didn't understand I have a story to finish and the motherboard deciding it was more important than me. However, here is the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

The sea of blonde hair made the goddess next to him a picture of perfection. No matter how many times he laid there watching her, he could never believe in his wildest dreams that he would be the one she chose to spend her life with. He ran his hand over her porcelain skin as if to make sure she was real.

"How'd I get so lucky?" he asked. Not realizing he'd said it out loud.

"You ask that every night. And I tell you the same thing each time."

The beauty turned to face him. "Why aren't you asleep Toki?"

With that he rolled to lie on his back, one arm folded behind his head, eyes closed. "Mamoru stopped by tonight."

This caused her to sit up against the bed head. She looked down at him, but he refused to look in her direction now, knowing her eyes were his truth serum.

"I don't know babe. He's one of my best friends, and has been for years. He's in love with our best friend, and has been for years. Only problem is he's now figuring all this out. Sometimes I wish he didn't have a stick up his ass. All of this shit could have been avoided if he had just come to me. Now all of a sudden he has a change of heart, and I bet he's expecting Usa to just waltz right back into his waiting arms. 'Sorry Usako for being such a ginormous nut sack all these years'." He said in his best Mamoru impression.

She knew how serious this was, but she couldn't help the giggle that slipped. "Yea he has been one hasn't he?"

"Yes! You wouldn't believe such a successful businessman has bird shit for brains when it comes to love."

"Toki, we can't make him see what we see. He has to see and want it for himself. If he doesn't, then so be it; we've got no choice but to be spectators at the moment. He's not our child so we can't make him do what we want, or knock him upside the head when he doesn't."

"He doesn't have to be my child for me to knock him upside the head. Believe me; Mamoru has given me plenty reason."

"Behave yourself Toki". Mina scolded lightly.

He rolled over, hugging her lower body as she sat. She ran her hands softly through his sandy blonde hair, which cause him to purr lowly and bury his face in her lap.

"How about we just enjoy the rest of the night, hm? I'm sure Mamoru isn't up thinking about us right now."

Motoki looked up to find her eyebrows slightly raised and a devious smirk on her face.

"Yea I'm sure Mamoru can take care of himself."

* * *

"Usagi let me explain!"

"Yes please do. This should be interesting."

"I asked for a ride home from work, he stopped to buy some dinner for you guys. Jadeite asked if it was ok for him to drop it off first and check on you before he took me home. I said ok, I just really can't hold it anymore. Sorry, but can I use your bathroom please?" the lady rattled while scotching to her left and right.

"Sure it's down the hall; second door on the left." Usagi replied softly. She moved out of the way slightly to let her pass.

"I'm sorry; I should have let you know I was bringing someone here." Then he noticed her clothing. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Was her short, curt reply.

"What? At this time? With who?" confusion written all over his face.

"What does it matter to you Jadeite? You're lucky I'm not one of those women, so there'll be no big brawl to embarrass you in front of your co-worker. But do know that I don't want to see, hear or know you after this. I actually feel better knowing that we never went far enough. God knows what you would bring home for me. Keep the house, keep the car and keep your woman. Leave me alone." Her voice was low, but her glare contained a cobra's venom.

'Woman?' He was perplexed. 'What the hell is she talking about?'

Before he could think on it anymore he heard the door slam shut. "Usa..."

"Hey I freshened up a bit, I hope you all don't mind." She said interrupting his call. "Hey where'd your girlfriend go? I need to get the number of the decorator who did this bathroom. I know you didn't choose any of this." She finished laughing.

"She just left. Going out with some friends to relieve some stress." He composed himself before turning to face her, putting a brave smile on his face when he finally did.

"Oh. Well when she comes back please give her my number so that she can call me."

"No problem." He said maintaining the fake smile. "Come on let's get you home before your husband kills me."

* * *

Once again she found herself at an all too familiar door. She was nervous and at the same time she wasn't. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It was all too easy for her feet to automatically make their way here; it didn't even surprise her. A slight shiver made its way down her spine, partly because of her nerves, partly because of the bite in the air. That small voice in her head started telling her to turn away. Clenching her tiny fist she tried to steel her resolve, reinforcing within herself that this was the right thing to do. Raising the clenched fist, she tapped timidly on the door, still not truly convinced this was where she should be.

After waiting for a few seconds, her heart began to sink. Now she knew for a fact she shouldn't be here. On her heel ready to walk away, the door suddenly opened.

"Usako." It came out almost like a whisper. He sounded like he were calling her, with a fear that if he moved too soon she might disappear. "What are you doing here this late?"

"Can we go inside first?

"Sure." He moved to let her go in first, and then followed, closing the door behind him.

"What's wrong Usa?"

A thousand thoughts were going through his mind. 'Did she finally break up with Jadeite? Nah she'd be a bit more distraught I think.' As right as that thought was, he dismissed it easily. He didn't really know how much she had actually changed, and had still expected her to cry over such things as she had on her previous visit.

"I just need some place to spend the night; well more than a night. A temporary roommate is what I'll be. Just until I get on my feet, please."

She basically confirmed what his first thought was, and he was dumbfounded. 'Wow she really has changed.' It was then he realised that she had not only matured in body, but in mind as well. There were a few things that were still the same about her, and to him that's what made him think nothing else had. Seeing her now, and how composed she was, he mentally scolded himself for missing out of so much of her life. Their life. Then their encounter with Ami months ago came back to him. Through all the taunting and ribbing, Usagi had stayed silent, never flinching or giving anything. The night she was here and cried, he now saw as the outlier in her behaviour; simply a release of everything she was now able to hold inside, and in her moment of weakness it overtook her.

"Mamoru – chan?" tilting her head to the side she looked at him strangely.

He awoke out of the thoughts that he had been so deeply engrossed in. "Yes...yes, yes you can stay. Sorry I zoned out for a minute. You two seemed happy when I first saw you together so it took me by surprise that's all."

"That's ok." Understanding his point of view as an outsider in her life now, he would only know the bits and pieces she gave away.

"You can have my room tonight. I'll take one of the guest rooms; the housekeeper will make it more liveable tomorrow so you can have it then."

"Thanks Mamoru. We'll work out a rent arrangement or something in the morning. Right now I just want to sleep." Without hesitation she made her way to the open door of his room with the little belongings she brought with her.

Mamoru looked after her perplexed. He couldn't believe she was this close to him. Control had to be maintained however. If he came on too strong now, she'd pull away again. The younger version of Usagi would have been easier for him to read; she'd come running crying to him if anything was wrong. Now, he wasn't as sure as to how she felt about all this. She still loved him, that much he knew. How fast he should move now that Jadeite and Usagi were on the rocks was another story. It didn't help that the hormones he had been able to keep dormant were now bubbling like lava, ready to burst forth; making him feel like a pre-pubescent boy all over again. For the second time tonight he'd have to run into cold shower.

"Damn it! I need her...and soon." He grumbled under his breath.

Making his way to the guest room further down the hall, Mamoru's mind again started to wander down the paths it took earlier with Motoki. Running on autopilot he made his way to the queen sized bed which sat in the middle of the room. He remembered when the designer was remodelling in here. He had told her to go with her own style, his reason being that he never really thought it would be getting used; or the other room to be frank. She ended up doing a great job at making the room neutral, using soft earth tones on the walls. A floor length glass window was directly behind the bed, silk curtains drawn back as no one could see in that high up. The moonlight shone in and bathed the lone occupant of the bed. Not before long he had begun to doze off.

* * *

He came back into the house, a bit hopeful that what had transpired earlier was all a bad dream and Usagi would be upstairs sleeping lightly as usual whenever she was waiting on him. Even so, he knew she was gone. Where? He figured she'd gone to Kunzite. That being the case for him, he decided to leave her alone for the night; giving her the time he thought she needed to cool off.

"We'll sort this out in the morning." Jadeite convinced himself. Again, not being entirely confident in what he was telling himself.

Trudging up the stairs for fear of the empty room to greet him, he took a deep breath before cautiously opening the door. The sight that did greet him, however, was heart stopping. There, plastered on all four walls were pictures taken of him and Rei; from the from the first night they met at the restaurant, until a couple weeks ago when they met during Usagi's big meeting.

"How?" He bellowed. His blood boiled as he turned in a circle staring at every picture intently. "Who the hell did this?"

There was no getting away from it. Here was the proof sitting right in his face. This was the guarantee that Usagi was not coming back. It'd take a pretty big effort to get her to believe his word over the pictures. He stumbled over to the bed and flopped down onto his back; her scent still lingered on the sheets. Rolling over he pressed his face into the pillows, inhaling deeply to take in as much of Usagi as he could. As if his world could crumble any further, his arm got stuck to what felt like another picture. Arching his back, Jadeite slowly slid out the picture afraid to turn it over. His stomach churned at the sight of the image. There, for all to see, including Usagi, was Rei whispering something into his ear as they sat on a bench next to the pond. If he thought there was a chance somehow before, no matter how slim, it was definitely gone now. Placing himself in the shoes of a neutral person, the pictures before him would indicate at least some form of close relationship; way more than a friendship.

"I guess that's what the 'paparazzi' meant to capture."

Still, he couldn't deny the fact that over the course of their meetings, he'd begun to feel something for Rei. Jadeite's skin crawled when his conscience let him know that he had treated her no better than Mamoru had.

"Kunzite will NOT be pleased." He groaned. "Especially when he tells Usa that he warned me about her."

In a fit of rage that suddenly overtook him, he began ripping all the photographs from the walls. The ringing of his cell phone brought him out of his stupor. Hurriedly he pulled it out of his pocket, answering without looking at the caller ID; that always hopeful part of him wishing it were Usagi on the other end.

"Hi honey! How'd you like my gift?"

* * *

He jumped up from his light sleep when he felt a figure above him.

"I couldn't sleep."

There was Usagi, kneeling at his bed side. How many times recently had he dreamed of waking up to her face; here it was happening and absolutely no words could come to the lips of the often articulate business tycoon. He was further dumbfounded as she closed the distance between the lips slowly, but purposefully. There was no hesitation in her actions. When they finally met, the sparks flew igniting the hunger and yearning for her that was deep within him.

He moved gingerly to sit up trying to not part from his current lifeline. She followed his lead, slithering onto him, straddling him as he finally sat erect in his bed. Mamoru held her hips firmly in place; moving his hands from there to roam her body when he was sure it wasn't a dream. Teasingly he brought his lips to her neck, sending a finger down her spine as he did. The moan he elicited from her was almost too much for him to bear, having to restrain himself from totally ravishing her. The other hand found its way up her thigh, kneading the soft flesh. He felt her shiver and twitch under his ministrations, filling him with pride that he still knew her body and could please her as if it were second nature.

She arched into him; almost ready to explode. Words could not describe what he was doing to her. But she was ready to take this to the next step. Reading her mind, Mamoru started to lift her sleek negligee, allowing himself a chance to take in her beauty before he continued. Lifting her easily, Usagi rolled onto her back pulling him down to her. He showered her with kisses all over her body. Down to her navel and back up, each kiss was a tantalising build up to the inevitable end that they both were longing for.

"Mamoru." She breathed out heavily.

Usagi knew he knew what he was doing to her. His pride was enjoying every moment of this. Coming face to face with her he gave her a soft smile, which she returned.

"Are you sure about this Usako?"

Face in her hands, her forehead to his forehead, nose to nose, Usagi looked him straight in the eyes.

"Yes Mamo – Chan."

Together, they did the dance as only two lovers know.

* * *

**Is that enough Mamoru/Usagi progress? I hope so :p And what about Jadeite? LOL Did you enjoy it? Always read and review...I DO take them into consideration (since I need you all to love the story) as much as possible. Again, don't shoot me for taking so long...shoot the motherboard lol...Ja Ne!**


	18. Ready, set, ego

**Hola! Next chapter ready and uploaded lol we left off with Usagi and Mamoru getting it on. Let's see what transpires next no? LOL I hope you enjoy! :) **

**Bold is flashback**

_Italics are speaking to yourself_

* * *

Trying again for what was the millionth time to him, he called Usagi's cell only to be greeted directly with the voicemail.

"Where the hell is that woman?" he roared through his house.

He knew she never turned her phone off during the night in case of emergency; always wanting to be there if any of them needed her even at some ungodly hour. In spite of his lack of success so far, he kept redialling hoping each time there would be a different result.

"You never know who might need you Kunzite so keep your phone on like me." He mimicked in his best Usagi voice.

"I'd hope you don't do the same when referring to me."

He looked around into the face of the only pair of eyes that could make his knees go weak. Her eyebrow was slightly raised, while a sarcastic grin graced her lips. She still wore last night's negligee under her opened robe.

"Close that robe before you find out exactly what I'd love to do with you." Not masking the longing in his eyes, Kunzite openly stared at her.

Slowly closing the gap between them, swaying her hips with every step, she kept her eyes locked with his, knowing he loved her to be the one to succumb to him first; his own little game of cat and mouse. Slipping her slender arms around his neck she began to place butterfly kisses over his face, purposely avoiding his lips.

"Nano." He warned in a low, lust-filled voice.

"Yes baby?" she responded innocently. "It's Saturday morning. You never worry about anyone on Saturday mornings, especially not at 7. There's only one person who you'd get like this for outside of me, so tell me exactly what's wrong."

Placing a soft kiss on his lips she pulled him over to the bed, motioning for him to sit. Doing as directed, Kunzite sat on the edge of the bed with tension emitting from every fibre of his being for two very different reasons.

"Calm down and tell me what's going on now." Moving behind him Nanako started to massage his shoulders and neck. Noticing his muscles start to relax she heard him inhale deeply.

"I got a bad vibe last night and ignored it. Now Usa's phone seems to be off, which it never is. I don't know I'm just not getting a good feeling about all this." Kunzite reclined onto her body, relaxing more and more as he talked and she massaged. Closing his eyes, he let his mind stop stressing on Usagi for the moment and focus on the woman behind him. Truthfully he could never express how much he appreciated her understanding of his friendship with Usagi and how close they were. After the threats to leave he thought for sure it was over between them. Now, she even gave him advice on how to treat Usagi and for that he would be eternally grateful. He knew he always dealt with Usagi in an overprotective manner, which as they both described as very 'testosterone driven'; but he couldn't help it. He remembered being the one who defended her when people pulled at her two pigtails as a child; helped her build up her own confidence throughout school when everyone else seemed to be getting by easily while she was catching on slower than they were. They'd poke fun at her, not understanding she learned by doing and not merely by seeing and hearing. He took his time, helping her as much as he could whenever she needed it even if it meant calling or skyping all the way from Osaka. He watched her grow before his eyes, still unsure of herself, but never losing her love for those around her. Many nights he'd seen the absolute joy in her eyes as she'd describe 'her Mamo-chan', and in his own way he always wanted to thank the man who had seen Usagi for who she was to him. Mixed in with those happy stories were those of the misery a certain girl called 'Rei' was causing. Kunzite remembered encouraging her to never give an inch to this Rei - "Never let her see what her words are doing to you" - he'd always tell her. He always saw himself as her outlet; whatever she needed to get out of her system he willingly listened even when it seemed at times she was taking it out on him. His growing experience in the business world was teaching him fast, and he wanted her to be prepared from then instead of being thrown into the deep end like he was. Never would he forget that night at the arcade or the effects it had on Usagi.

For a few months she was dejected, but discreetly he let his family put in a word for her at the University. She did a few more foundation courses, having not done an associate's degree, but he was thankful for it as it gave her something to focus on instead of the trouble she had left behind. Offering her a place in his parent's company seemed like the next logical step to him, but she turned it down easily - "I know you're the reason I got in to University. I want to earn this one on my own. I promise I'll take it if nothing comes through" - she had told him. At that moment he was seeing the woman he knew Usagi was meant to become: strong, intelligent and articulate. That made him confident she wouldn't need his help in that area of life anymore, but that didn't stop him from helping her proceed up the corporate channel a bit faster than normal. She got angry when she found out but soon got over it as the higher salary meant she was able to provide more easily for herself instead of being dependent upon his family.

He'd been happy when he first noticed Jadeite's interest in her. His co-worker would be the best candidate he could hope for since he knew Jadeite for years and therefore he knew Jadeite knew the warnings he never had to voice.

When they first got the news that her company was merging with a company in Tokyo they both reeled a bit, but knew it was inevitable that she'd be back there at some point. Motoki and his parents were still their family. Though they had kept in constant contact, there was nothing like being with them in person. She prepared as much as she could, with he and Jadeite agreeing to move to their branch in Tokyo so they could be with her. Finding out it was Mamoru's company, or rather his parent's company that he took over, was another blow. But she handled it just liked he had taught her.

Now, a year and some later, it seemed they'd come full circle. Except this time it was his supposed friend who was doing the heart breaking. No matter how much stronger he knew Usagi was now, that 'testosterone' filled side quickly emerged to smack into oblivion anyone or anything that dared to threaten her or her happiness.

"Kunzite." He heard his voice being called desperately.

"KUNZITE!" the voice he now recognised as Nanako's yelled.

His eyes shot open, looking up into the hazel eyes of his fiancée. He was lying in her lap, apparently having dozed off somewhere in between her massage. Taking the phone she was offering, Kunzite looked at it strangely, his mind still hazy from the nap he was awaking from.

"It's Usa." She told him while smiling down gently.

Putting the phone to his ear he heard a simple command.

"Meet me at the arcade."

Giving Nanako a knowing look she simply laughed and shook her head.

"Tell her I said hi."

Quickly he was bathed and ready to leave. He stopped at the dining table where she was finishing off her breakfast. Taking her hand he gently pulled her up and towards him, wrapping her in a tender embrace, burying his face in her hair. Pulling away slightly, with one hand still around her waist, he used the other to lift her chin so their eyes met.

"I love you." He whispered softly. Rubbing a thumb across her cheek as she blushed he leaned in and kissed her, lingering a bit longer than he had intended. When he ended it he smirked at her in his usual manner that spoke of trouble.

"Go buy this in a few other colours. I have plans for tonight."

And with that he left.

* * *

He stared at the woman who was frantically getting ready to leave, but to him it was happening in slow motion. There was no blushes, no seeming discomfort from what occurred last night, and he was not sure how he should have taken that. On one hand he was a bit hurt, as it seemed like last night was just any other night to her. On the other hand, he was ecstatic. He was her first and for him nothing would ever mean more in their relationship. He was not her first, they knew, although with how long he'd been on this "sabbatical" he certainly felt that way. Her comfort with him now spoke volumes despite that nagging hurt. She was moving around freely, as naked as she was born, and he knew that came from the love she felt for him. The little man in his mind came out again as he was reminded that she probably did the same with Jadeite.

'_No Chiba. NO! You will NOT ruin this morning.'_ He scolded himself.

**Mamoru had awoken first to find her in his arms, sleeping curled against his chest. The sheets had ridden down during their rest and now came only up to their waists. He noted the side of her breast as she laid plastered onto his side. She looked peaceful and he didn't want to ruin it, fearing she'd awake and regret what happened. Soon she had awoken and looked at him lovingly, his fear averted. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as she listened to his heart beat while he ran his fingers up and down her arm. **

"**Did you sleep well Usako?" he asked.**

"**Mmhmm. Best I had in a long time." She said with a grin on her face. **

**Chuckling he kissed her forehead. "What are your plans for today?"**

**Sighing she moved to get up. "I have to get the rest of my things from that place. And I need to let Motoki and Kunz know I'm staying here right now. I'll probably do that first so one of you can help me move stuff here afterwards." **

**Mamoru knew those two would find out eventually; he figured it was best to go Usagi's route and let them know now instead of letting it come from some other source. **

"**And when do I get to spend some more time like this with you?" rolling her over so that he was now on top of her he began to nuzzle her neck. Her groan stroked at his ego, but before he could go any further he heard his phone vibrate on the night stand. Snarling he moved off her to see who was calling. **

"**Where's Usa Mamoru?" **

"**Konnichiwa to you too Motoki. She is here."**

**Not waiting for the order, he handed the phone to Usagi.**

"**Moshi moshi." There wasn't much conversation from her end. He just heard her say "hai, meet me there in half hour" and then the call was over. Another call was made informing the recipient on the other end of the plan. He assumed that was Kunzite. **

**When she was finished she ended the call then shook her head. "I guess part one of the day has been arranged already." **

Now as he sat there ready and watching her, a sinking feeling came over him. Not sure as to why he dismissed it as nerves from finally admitting to Usagi's biggest protectors that she was moving in with him after all these years.

'_And we'll leave out the part where we had sex as well so I leave in one piece.'_

Smirking slightly at the memory of how he coaxed every response out of her body like it was his own, looked her from top to bottom as moan and groan sounded in his ear as if it were happening right then. He watched her put the finishing touches on her lip gloss before turning to him.

"Ready?" he asked

"No time like the present."

Mamoru took her hand in his, kissed her palm, then led her out of the apartment.

* * *

"How about a toast? To the men we will have and the lady they will leave behind in mourning. Cheers."

The two ladies sat at the bar in the den of the house.

"How do you think she's enjoying the gift we left for her and Jadeite?"

"Well I think it's going well...for us! I asked Jadeite last night when I was sure they would have gotten in - the phone cut out after that."

"Good thing you called Ami, otherwise he would have known it was me and there'd be no chance I'd get with him."

"Yes we did it the smart way. Solve each other's cases so the other doesn't suspect. We're soon there now Rei. Just a bit more and we won't have to worry about Usagi."

"You know she probably ran straight to Mamoru last night."

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for Rei. It will be even sweeter when she finds out Mamoru was the mastermind behind it. You have to skilfully slip it into that conversation. Hopefully it will make her leave Tokyo, and for good this time. Just remember, no matter what, neither of them find out that we are involved. Mamoru won't want me if he knows we're in on this, and same with Jadeite."

"Yes I've got it Ames." Rei said with a roll of the eyes. "Now I need time to work over Jadeite. He won't be too happy now so I need to be there to pick up the pieces. Likewise I'd think you want to give Mamoru and Usagi some time to get close so that you are there to pick up the pieces when I drop the bomb."

"That's no problem. Again, that will make it all the better when you do. We'll let him think he's won and that he's finally got her; and she'll be moving on quite contentedly without Jadeite thinking Mamoru and her were always meant to be. They won't see it coming, especially him and his ego."

* * *

They walked to the arcade, drawing comfort from each other as they came closer to their destination. They were both a bunch of nerves, Usagi not know how they would react and Mamoru simply hoping to make it out alive. Squeezing her hand he reassured both himself and her that they were in this together. They were grown adults and knew they were right for each other. Stopping before they got any further he pulled her to him. He kissed her passionately, yet gently, making her heart flip. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. He knew here wasn't the appropriate place to be frenching her but after one taste last night after so long, his body was craving her like a heroin addict without his fix. Against his own will he started to end the kiss. Usagi wasn't letting him however. A grumble escaped from his throat and soon he was able to come up for air.

"Soon Usako. Soon. We have forever." He said smirking down at her. '_If they let me live after this'. _He added in his mind. "Come on. Let's not keep them waiting any longer."

"Ok Mamo-chan."

In a few more minutes their journey was complete. Standing outside the arcade, they felt the sky cloud over ominously. Taking deep breaths, they entered using Usagi's key; Mamoru following closely behind Usagi. It was still empty given the time, so they knew the only two figures seated near the back who weren't facing them could only be Motoki and Kunzite.

"Ready?" she whispered.

"No time like the present." He replied.

The uneasiness increased tenfold as they finally came to the table. Hand in hand they stood at the side and looked at the two occupants.

"Konnichiwa Motoki-onii-san." Usagi started in her most innocent voice. It didn't work however as two murderous glares were sent in their direction, although meant solely for Mamoru.

Usagi moved to sit on the inside near to the window, while Mamoru scooted in after her. As confident as he was before, Mamoru felt it wilting rapidly under the intense gaze of Kunzite AND Motoki. He felt Usagi squeeze his thigh in reassurance, and he sent a thankful smile her way.

"Didn't I warn you Chiba?" they both started.

That broke the tension for Usagi and she burst out laughing. All other occupants of the table looked at her as if she'd lost a few screws.

"I'm sorry guys but that was too funny." She defended. "Fine. Whatever."

Motoki went back to the matter at hand. "I warned you. Don't make a move until she and Jadeite were through."

"Um excuse me I'm right here Motoki. And me and Jadeite are through. What makes you think I can't think for myself."

The two men were stunned into silence.

"No you didn't know. And what do you take me for? Both of you. Is this what this is about? I expected way better from you. Especially you Kunzite. But you know what: I really don't need this right now. I'll say my piece and leave. You guys," she said pointing back and forth between Motoki and Kunzite, "can decide how you want to deal with it."

Bracing themselves for what she had to say, the listened intently.

"I am moving in with Mamoru. No I couldn't move in with either of you because I'm not going to be a third wheel in either of your houses. Jadeite was or is apparently having an affair with none other than Hino Rei and I've made my decision. Maybe I've moved too fast, maybe I haven't. As of now however, this is my choice. You can either like it or lump it. Let's go Mamoru."

With that she all but pushed Mamoru out of the seat.

"Wait!" Kunzite yelled.

"Why? Why should I wait Kunzite? I thought you had a better opinion of me."

"Look I didn't know. We didn't know." He said gesturing to himself and Motoki. "And I understand how you feel about this. We went about this in the wrong way. Just please know I'll never think that way of your. I guess once I couldn't get through to you last night or this morning I was sort of worried and I jumped to way too many conclusions. I'm sorry."

"Look I'm not looking for your approval. Just let me make my own choices. You're not going to be there every single second and I've got to learn to think on my own. And I'd like to think I've had enough guidance over the past years to know how you would advise me. If I fall, well then I've got you both to lean on."

"We know." They said in unison.

Looking at each other strangely, Motoki said, "We have GOT to stop that."

"Honestly speaking Mamoru does not have the best track record when it comes to you." Motoki started.

"Thanks man."

"Don't mention it. Anyway. I just want you to be sure. We won't stop you once you are sure. And we can't guarantee he won't end up dead in a ditch somewhere should anything happen."

Smiling at them both she nodded her consent. "This is what I want. But we're taking a slow. VERY SLOW." They didn't need to know about last night. Or the kiss before they got there.

Still uneasy they grudgingly accepted. "So tell us more about this Rei and Jadeite thing." Motoki pushed.

"I'm sure Kunzite had an idea as we discussed before. I came home and found our bedroom covered in pictures of him and Rei together. Didn't need to question him, I just left them up for him to see for himself. I left and went to Mamoru's place and spent the night in his guest room."

Mamoru contained the laughter that threatened to come out when he saw their faces relax as she let them know she was in the guest bedroom. He knew she added that conveniently so they wouldn't ask any questions about their arrangement last night once they figured that's where she spent the night.

'_No need to include the fact that I was in the guest bedroom as well.' _

After clearing up the misunderstanding and finding out about Jadeite's infidelity, the four chatted away as normal until normal business hours started. One person in particular had decided it was a good day to visit the arcade.

* * *

**sOOOOOOOO LOL did you like it? Let me know...as always read and review. I always read them and take them into consideration! Until my next update... Ja ne! **


	19. Suspicious Minds

**Hola! Great news: I bought a new laptop! :) And better news...new chapter and the next already started and soon done so I hope you enjoy! **

* * *

Her eyes slowly opened, as her hazy mind tried to piece together the surroundings. She noted a presence behind her, as well as a soft breath gently tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. A strong arm locked her into place against a solid body. Everything was coming together. She was in her room; their room. Picking up her cell from the bed head, she pressed a button to bring up the display screen, noting that it was only just after 2. Sighing, she snuggled back into the embrace of her lover as her thoughts began to flow.

If anyone had told her when she first came back that she would find herself in the arms of her former lover, in their room at their apartment she'd have gladly checked that person into a mental institution herself and paid all the necessary fees. She gave way to the fact that it was almost 2 years since that time, but still it was never seen as a possibility no matter how far into the future she looked.

They were taking things one step at a time. She was still slightly uneasy when it came to trust, not only because of their past, but also because of how her last relationship with Jadeite had gone. He understood this and was determined to make it as easy as possible for her to trust him. The times away from the office that weren't spent together, he made sure she knew where he was, how long he would be there, and if ever he was running late he called 15 minutes before hand. He was trying to make it work and she appreciated every part of him for it. Even in their moments of passion he took his time, trying to learn anything new about her body. Then there were times like this, where it was just them alone in the silence. They would hold each other close, basking in the love they had for each other, knowing that a word need not be said.

But at times, the silence scared her. Even now, Usagi still had fear in her heart that somehow Rei would show up and this happiness would all come crashing down. Again. Her body went rigid and the action caused her lover to stir. She tried to breathe evenly, hoping in this state he'd assume she was just having a bad dream and would go back to sleep. Her wish was not granted as she heard him mumble groggily.

"What's the matter Usako?"

"Nothing Mamo-chan. I just had a bad dream. Let's go back to sleep." She hoped he'd buy that but again, lady luck was not on her side.

"You've been awake for almost half an hour now. Talk to me please." He gently pleaded as he stroked her arm slightly.

Next time, she reminded herself, she had to remember that he was a very light sleeper. She wiped all expression from her face, turned to face him and flashed a bright smile in his direction; well as bright as was possible at this time of morning. She pushed on his shoulder forcing him to lie on his back, then put her head to rest on chest and cuddled into his side.

"I'm fine Mamo-chan. Really I am. The dream just has me a little disturbed and I can't get back to sleep. Sing me a song?" she asked in the most innocent voice she could muster, knowing the probability of him denying the request was very high, but he'd more than likely move off the topic.

Finally lady luck cooperated with her when she heard a chuckle come from Mamoru. She closed her eyes and mouthed a thank you.

"As long as you don't mind your ears hurting, what do you want me to sing?" Mamoru asked playfully.

"Anything, just make sure I'm asleep at the end of it."

"Ok. I'll sing for you, when you tell me what's on your mind. And I don't mean the bad dream story. I mean, what's really bothering you."

Usagi sighed audibly. "Can't we just drop it Mamo-chan? I want to get back to sleep. We have a meeting tomorrow morning and we can't afford to be late."

"I can cancel it." He replied. His next words came out so softly, and so lovingly, that she knew she had to reward his request. "You come first Usako." She remembered how she was just thinking back on all his efforts to help her trust him. It was now her turn to help build their relationship by showing that his efforts were not in vain. Not moving from her position, she took a deep breath before starting.

"I'm worried about us. It's been so quiet. I guess I'm just being paranoid, but I almost expected Rei to be all up in this relationship again trying to break us up again. That's not to say I'm not happy she isn't, but I had my guard up for what I thought would happen. It's like the calm before the storm, if you get what I'm saying. Silly isn't it?"

He did get it. And he too was expecting it. After the first month incident free he was of the opinion that she had taken the hint and was too wrapped up in Jadeite to care about them. If he was being honest, Mamoru had put any worries concerning Rei on the backburner and was content to just build his relationship with Usagi without interruption. Now he had to admit, with Usagi voicing her concern, he was right back where he was, and now they were in the same boat together; obviously for different reasons. While they were both 100% committed to each other and were genuinely worried about any problems Rei may look to cause between them, Mamoru had the additional problem of not letting Usagi find out straight from the horse's mouth who really was behind the demise of her previous relationship. His mind quickly raced to find a solution.

"Mamo-chan?"

Usagi's voice brought him out of his thoughts, realising he had never responded to her.

"Sorry Usa, I was thinking back on our first try at this. I can't apologise enough for what an ass I was, but this time I know different. Now I'm prepared for whatever she may try and I won't let it happen again. It's not silly to be worried; in fact, some women in your position wouldn't have given me the time of day given our history. We will work Usako; I promise."

"Are you sure?" this time the innocence in her voice was not an act. She shifted so she could look straight into his eyes.

"To show you how much I mean that. Remember a while back you were planning to move back to Osaka?"

She nodded nervously in response.

"Do you still want to?" he knew she was catching on to where he was going with this but he still wanted to hear it from her.

"Yes."

"How about we leave here; leave Tokyo. Instead of Osaka, we'll go to Sapporo. We'll be just as far away, and it'll be some place new. We can make new memories there. No Rei, nobody. Just us."

"Hm I don't know Mamo-chan. What about Kunz? And Mina and Motoki? And work? I know we have an office there after all the mergers, but it's a much smaller one. Can they accommodate us at such short notice?"

"We'll keep in constant contact with the others. I do know if we tell them about our worries they'd support us. We can come back anytime we start getting a little homesick." Still seeing the uncertainty in her eyes he continued. "How about we just take a little vacation down there and spend two weeks. Neither of us have had a real vacation, apart from the few days here and there we take sporadically. A week from now we'll go down, take a look around and then make a final decision together. How does that sound?"

How could she say no to a man who was willing to move around his life for her. She knew he didn't have to, but what Mamoru was suggesting was the sort of things men shied away from for fear of giving the wrong idea. This was a step towards a serious commitment. No more playing around. Even if it was brought on earlier than needed by outside circumstances, the fact that he was suggesting it made her heart melt a little. With a huge grin she nodded her agreement.

"Hai Mamo-chan. That sounds great."

From her position, she leaned over and kissed his lips softly.

"I love you Mamo-chan." She said as she drew back.

He cupped her cheek and she stood still. Their eyes bore into each other.

Smiling up at her he returned the kiss, letting his linger a bit longer. As he pulled away he kept his eyes on her. "I love you too Usako."

* * *

"How much more time are we giving them?"

"We need them comfortable. Right now they're waiting on us, well me, to do something outrageous. Usagi will especially have her eyes and ears perked for anything even remotely hinting of sabotage. Patience is key here. In the meantime, we're going to do our part to help them forget us; as they say: out of sight, out of mind."

A devious chuckle was heard in agreement. "Gotcha."

* * *

The air was cool and inviting. There was a much welcomed warmth contained within the four walls of the establishment. Some eyes peered up momentarily to watch the solitary figure walk confidently towards whom or what seemed to be its goal. Taking a seat on one of the bar stools around the fine marble counter, the cool demeanour was not lost as the figure casually took off the trench coat and put it to rest on its lap. Signalling to one of the workers, a male quickly approached.

"I need to speak to the owner." Was all that was said.

The worker raised an eyebrow and was about to let out a sarcastic laugh, until it died in his throat as two cerulean eyes pierced his own; a threat being issued without words ever passing or the expression changing on the figure's face.

"May I ask who is requesting her presence, should she ask?" he queried a bit more timidly.

There was no response, just the same deadly gaze and an expressionless face.

"Right away." He said hurriedly with his head bowed.

In no time at all a tall brunette was seen accompanying the worker back to the counter where the figure sat. When their eyes met, they both displayed small, uncertain smiles. The brunette dismissed the employee.

"So you're the big bad monster who managed to pump some manners into Heiji." She said with a sly grin.

"Me? I merely requested to see the boss. Not my fault he needs to grow a pair." Came the reply with a nonchalant shrug.

An uncomfortable silence came over them; another reminder that their relationship was nowhere near where it once was when they would strike up a conversation over any and everything with ease and the odd silent times were welcomed by both.

"I decided to visit since I was taking a break from the office. And I didn't want to come and leave without saying hi to you." While what she was saying was true, she couldn't help but feel wrong for saying it; again because of how they used to be.

"Thanks. So...what will you have then?"

"How about some fettuccini chicken alfredo in two take away containers, if possible. I want to take some back to the office for Mamoru."

"Sure, coming right up."

The same employee was called back and instructed to prepare the order.

"How are things between you and Mamoru?"

"Good. Things are looking up." She looked down and twiddled her thumbs a bit. She was itching to talk to someone about her worries; someone who wouldn't be biased either way. She knew her former friend would have her best interest at heart in spite of how their relationship stood now, and that's all she needed. Minako, Motoki and Kunzite would think about her but they'd also think about themselves – they would not want to be separated from her again. Mamoru was thinking about her as well but she just needed a voice of reassurance, being that she was pretty sure what her decision was going to be. She took a deep breath and continued.

"We're a bit worried about Rei."

"What is she doing now?" Makoto said angrily, almost shouting. A few heads turned in their direction and she mouthed an apology to them. "How about we go into my office and finish this."

Upon entering the office Makoto continued a bit more calmly. "Is she after him again? I thought she had given this up after he kept rejecting her even when you were gone."

Usagi flinched inwardly a bit at the memory, but was also quite pleased with that piece of information – he never went with her. It was a relief and something, even though never voiced, which she always wondered.

"Well no. She hasn't made a move. I know it's going to sound odd but we were, well I was, expecting one. It's way too quiet given that I know she is still in Tokyo and she must know by now we are together. Jadeite has left town, so he said, and that has probably left her without a boy toy. All her efforts should be going into Mamoru as always, but we aren't seeing or hearing her. I should be happy, you know, after all that I went through with her; but somehow I can't relax." She sighed. "That's why Mamoru and I are thinking of going to another city. Just for a few weeks to see if we can adjust to life elsewhere, but sooner or later it will be permanent." Usagi held down her head anticipating the loud disagreement which never came.

Instead, she held up her head when the silence greeted her, to find tears coursing down the face of her former best friend. Her eyes were closed tightly, trying to force them back; but they still came. This was not how she had envisioned this. They stood still for a few moments; neither knowing what to say.

"Something was warring within me that day you left. Something deep down was telling me not to follow Rei blindly. I guess the logical part of me had figured out that everything wasn't as black and white as Rei made it seem. Heaven knows how much I regretted not asking a question when my conscience was prompting me to." The broken voice of Makoto filled the quaint office. She looked up to face Usagi as she continued. "That day when Motoki called us down to the arcade, I knew whatever was going to be said or done would be life changing; and for me it was. All these years afterwards the one thing that haunts me everywhere I go is that one statement Motoki made: 'You all are no longer welcome in our lives'. I knew by extension that meant you, and it hurt. It still hurts. The one person who didn't make fun of the fact that the "tomboy" wanted to be a cook, I had managed to push out of my life. It's easy to blame Rei - she played off of the fact that we didn't know the dynamics of your relationship with Kunzite. But we should have been smarter. I should have been smarter." She sighed, turned and walked over to the mahogany desk which sat in the corner of the room. Sitting on the edge of the desk she continued on.

"I missed you Usa. It was easy to dismiss you when I was surrounded by a group, but as soon as the dust settled nothing was the same. More and more Rei exposed herself for who she really was. As I hinted at earlier, she went after Mamoru like an obsession from the moment you left. That's what made me open my eyes fully to her deceitful nature. Both she and Ami went in their own directions and Minako wanted nothing to do with me. Honestly Usa, I'd never felt as alone or as miserable with my life. I had to depend on distant friends and acquaintances to help me get where I am today. And then there was your silent encouragement that helped me understand my full potential that I always held on to. You always told me to trust myself Usa."

Eventually the tears had given way to the soft smile which now graced her face.

"Now I am going to tell you the same thing. I really would have loved the opportunity for us to get back to the way we once were, but I believe you know what's best for you. At least this time if you choose to go it'll be of your own volition and we're on better terms than last time."

Usagi returned the smile. She was glad they had had this talk and was equally sad that she would be gone before they could reconcile what once was.

"Arigato, Mako-chan."

For the first time in years they embraced each other. A sharp knock on the door interrupted the moment as soon as it began. They pulled apart and smiled.

"Come in." Makoto said loudly.

"Ahh Kino-san, here is the order. Do you need anything else?" Heiji was clearly nervous and kept avoiding Usagi's eyes.

"Heiji." He looked directly to her when she called his name firmly.

" Tsukino Usagi. Arigato." She held out her hand in invitation. Nervously he accepted. After a couple seconds she released his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Ja ne Mako-chan." She said finally, taking her food and leaving.

"She's not your type Heiji." Makoto said, snapping him out of his unintentional revere.

* * *

_*Now boarding flight 364A for Sapporo at Terminal B. All passengers please make your way to Terminal B as soon as possible*_

"That's us."

The days had flown by and they were ready for their impromptu vacation. Usagi was nervous because of the unknown. Her heart beat was increasing. She hoped they liked the new city, as the more she thought about the plan during the past couple days the more she had warmed to it. They hadn't told Kunzite, Motoki or Minako the full plan, only that they wanted a get-away to somewhere they had never been. They had understood and quickly agreed.

"Usako?"

"Huh?" she snapped out of her thoughts.

"We're ready to board. Are you having second thoughts?" Mamoru asked worriedly. His eyes had glanced down to her slightly shaking hand.

She realised the signals she could be giving off and to dispel any concerns from Mamoru's mind she smiled gently at him.

"Just a bit nervous Mamo-chan. I can't begin to imagine what it's like there."

He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. For their sake he hoped she loved it there. He didn't mind where they were, as long as they were away from Rei. They separated just enough to share a soft kiss.

"Let's go Mamo-chan."

* * *

**More Mamoru/Usagi togetherness (but will it last *evil eye*)...and I thought the Makoto/Usagi reconciliation was nice and cute :) how will things go when they are in Sapporo? **


	20. What if

**HOLA! I AM PROUD TO SAY EXAMS ARE DONE, RESEARCH PAPERS ARE DONE AND THEREFORE IT IS TIME TO FINISH THIS STORY! I THANK THOSE WHO SENT MESSAGES FOR THE KIND WORDS AND KNOW THAT I WILL NEVER GIVE UP THIS STORY! AND AS PROMISED MORE USA/MAMO TOGETHERNESS :) ENJOY!**

* * *

There was hardly an eye not turned in his direction. Both male and female – males envious, females' hearts a flutter, all in one accord with their silent admiration. He was their boss. At times he did not act like it, which made the atmosphere in the office a very pleasant one. They all, however, knew that their work still had to be done. An angry boss was not the same as the one walking through the office now. He never lost his cool with any of them no matter what they did, but they could always feel the reproach just as strong.

"Good Morning all." He said in his usual manner.

"Good Morning." Was the chorus heard in response.

As he made his way down the hall way toward his office he disappeared from their view. He wasn't unaware of the attention and most of the time he didn't mind it; but on a day like today he was happy his office was situated away from all eyes. His secretary was typing away, blissfully unaware of his coming presence.

"Good Morning Haibara – san." They had acquired a certain level of friendship and respect for each other which extended outside of the employer/employee relationship. She was highly intelligent, something which he had noticed despite her lack of qualifications when he first hired her. She didn't have the necessary funds to continue her education without working so he had given her a chance, and he was more than happy that he did. Haibara was a sharp individual, with the right amount of wit, sarcasm and charm. The title of secretary, he thought, didn't do justice to the amount of work she did for him. She knew him well enough to understand when his mood, and not necessarily his work, indicated he was not up to any visitors. She was strong enough to turn away even the most bothersome people at such times as needed. The others in the office, he knew, were jealous of her because of the added perks that came with the job.

"Good Morning Kunzite – san." She replied without looking away from the screen. "No calls so far, no corporate invitations, and last but by no means least, no anonymous love letters." At that last comment she raised her head slightly to look at him as a cheeky grin appeared.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Don't quit your day job." Came the sarcastic response. "Keep the calls screened today. I only want urgent calls; other than that I'm not in office."

"Got it."

With that Kunzite made his final steps towards his office. A feeling of foreboding came over him as he was about to turn the door knob.

'_Is Usa in trouble?'_

With that being the only thought in his mind, he made haste to get into his office so he could call her. What, or rather who, he saw upon entering made his heart rate increase. Kunzite could hear all the blood rushing through his veins. He was sure the other occupant could see his heart pumping visibly through his chest, as well as the murderous glare directed towards him.

"What are you doing here Masters? Aren't you supposed to be in hell right now?" Kunzite said as calmly as he could muster.

"Where is Usa Kunzite? I went to our house and she's not there. It looks like no one has been there for months. I tried her cell but it's off. Where is she Kunzite?" Jadeite pleaded desperately.

"I'm just going to ask this one more time. What...are...you...doing...here? You have 5 seconds to answer that and then get your ass out of here before I personally remove it through that window."

"What right do you have Kunzite? HUH? YOU answer me? She is not yours to lord over. We will work out this misunderstanding if you just tell me where she is!" Jadeite screamed wildly.

The sound of bone cracking was heard echoing through the air. A faint smell of blood tainted the otherwise neutral atmosphere. Stumbling feet sounded against the tiled office floor. The inevitable fall knocked some more air out of lungs already begging for mercy.

Kunzite came to stand over his floored victim; a sadistic pleasure gleaming in his eyes but his face remained impassive. He used his foot to turn Jadeite fully onto his back, then pressed his heel against his neck knowing Jadeite was too dazed from the sudden attack to fight back. Keeping the pressure applied he talked in a low, menacing voice.

"Listen to me, and listen to me good Masters. Stay away from Usa for the rest of your life or so help me you will find yourself in an early grave. And THAT, is a promise." He ground his heel into Jadeite's wind pipe to show how serious he was. "Now get up and get out of here or there will be more where that first punch came from. You got it?"

Jadeite's eyes were closed tightly as he felt his head pounding away, both from the hit and the lack of oxygen supply to his brain. He tried to respond but even though his mouth was opened there were no words coming out.

"I can't hear you Masters!" Kunzite said in a sneer.

Using what little strength he could, Jadeite managed to croak out what they both assumed was a 'yes'. Slowly, Kunzite removed his foot from Jadeite's throat, watching carefully as he tried to get to his feet. He grabbed onto the edge of a chair as he stood, trying to gather his bearings before he moved. A chill ran down his spine as he felt a presence behind him that was too close for comfort.

"Make sure there isn't a next time, or else I won't be able to help myself."

"You don't scare me Kunzite. Usa won't let you hurt me." Jadeite responded trying to hide the bit of fear coming through in his voice. He knew when it came to Usagi the man behind him was a loose cannon and there was no telling what he would do. "I'll get Usa back."

With that last remark he made the short trek towards the door. Kunzite on the other hand was dying inside from his efforts restraining his urge to hit something. He knew Jadeite was right, but he had no choice but to let it slide for now. Picking up the glass ornament adorning the corner of his desk, he threw it against the closed door, seething as the shards scattered all across his office.

* * *

"Come on cheer up. It has only been a few days. You'll make it through; you can't keep worrying all the time. Just relax." He said as he tried to get the frown off his love's face.

"You can't honestly tell me you aren't the least bit concerned that they decided to take vacation at this point Motoki." She responded, her voice slightly raised. "Something doesn't feel right. I know Usa and she doesn't plan vacations to places she's never been. She tends to stick to what or where she knows."

"Firstly, I know her as well and I have to say you're underestimating her. I know Mamoru Mina, and trust me when I say it was probably his idea to go somewhere new and even though she probably wouldn't go there alone, once it is with Mamoru she will. Just trust them." He held up his hands in defense quickly. "I know, I know, we still don't trust Mamoru 100% yet; but as he said, she was feeling a bit run down and needed a change of scenery. He probably chose somewhere neither of them knows well so they could both enjoy something new. If they're trying we can't stop them Mina. We have to support them, especially for Usa who will at least need her best friends behind her."

He leaned over the counter, cupped and stroked her cheek and smiled lovingly at her. "I love you."

She couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks.

"Usa is strong Mina. She'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I want her to be happy."

"She's getting there Mina. Rei is gone, Jadeite showed his true colours. In the end, it's now her and Mamoru as I guess it was always meant to be. Let's not ruin it for them by trying to project our worries onto them, ok?"

"You're right Toki. She's been happier than she has been during these last few months. We'll always be here if she needs us." Minako said with a small smile. Her insecurities about the situation were still gnawing away, but for Usagi's sake she was going to quell them.

"I'm going to do some shopping. Wish me luck!" she winked and hopped off the bar stool like a little girl.

"Don't you have a gig tonight that you should be resting for?"

"Yes and shopping relieves any stress that I may have, since my other method is unavailable at the present moment. Bye Toki!" blowing a kiss his way she almost skipped towards the door.

"It may relieve your stress, but my pocket still feels it." he grumbled.

* * *

They had been in Sapporo for over a week now and each time she looked out at the view of their apartment on the 12th storey of the skyscraper she was amazed. She should have expected it knowing Mamoru's love for solitude and for sunsets. Each evening they had been there they would open the floor length curtains and just sit and watch as the sun would give way to the moon, and their fight that spread beautiful colours through their simple apartment. As she sat on his lap in the single loveseat she felt his concentration elsewhere. Today he wasn't relaxed. He had been this way since they were out taking in the city; or maybe from this morning at breakfast if she ran through the whole day in her mind. She sighed internally and bit the bullet. Mamoru was a good listener and adviser; talking however was not his strong point.

"What's wrong Mamo – chan? Talk to me." She said gently as she shifted so she could look him square in the eyes. "You've been tense all day."

He simply looked straight back into her eyes without a word, and then looked down. "I don't want to talk about it." he said quietly.

"Come on Mamo – chan." She pleaded, while running a hand gently through his shiny mane hoping to coax a response out of him. What she got however was a low growl emanating from the back of his throat. This caused her to quirk an eyebrow.

"Mamo – chan?" she said again.

When a firm hand gripped her wrist she couldn't help the slight squeak that escaped. He didn't appear angry with her, and she knew he wasn't happy either. She wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but she was wishing he was either of the two emotions she knew he was capable of expressing clearly.

"Mamoru you're scaring me." She said unable to hide the pain.

It worked and it seemed to snap him out of his trance as he finally met her eyes again. He loosened his grip as he noticed the beginning of tears beginning to form in the corner of her eye. Quickly wiping it away with his thumb he appeared to be examining her face carefully.

"Sorry Usako. Aishiteru. Daijobu?" he asked so gently she thought she had imagined the whole thing.

"I'm ok Mamo – chan. But I'd like to you know what's going on with you today. You've been acting strange and now this. What's going on?"

"It's nothing Usako. I'm just a bit run down." he offered, looking back down.

"Oh come on Mamoru. We have been doing nothing strenuous since we have arrived. We sleep, eat, walk around, bathe, and sleep. That's it. what part of that could have you worn down? Do you think I'm stupid?" she couldn't help her voice rising as she thought of the flimsy excuse he had given in trying to get out of talking to her.

"No. Of course not. I just...never mind. Can we drop it?" Mamoru asked.

"Mamo – chan. This is me. Your Usako. If you can't talk to me then what am I doing here? I thought we are doing this together?" she tried again in a gentler tone. This time she moved so she was straddling him while she cupped his strong jaws in both her hands, noticing how tightly they were clenched and that he still refused to meet her eyes. "Mamo – chan?"

"I wouldn't sit like that if I were you Usako. I'm already at my wits end right now and you aren't helping." He said; jaws still tight.

"What? You don't like me sitting on you like this?" Usagi asked innocently. Then she realised the reaction she was causing that Mamoru was desperately trying to control. It amazed her exactly how much she affected him, especially since she was fully clothed and hadn't been doing anything particularly alluring. Yet his body was telling her all she needed to know. She then remembered that it had been a couple weeks since they had made love. She wondered now if that was because of their schedules or the fact that she was involved with a man who had learned to control giving into even his basic needs. Purposely she sensualised her movements a bit to see if she had finally figured out what was wrong with Mamoru. She shifted again slightly in his lap and rested her full weight on him.

"Usako." He ground out.

'_Well at least he's finally looking straight at me.'_ She thought.

"Why?" she asked softly, using her index finger to trace the line of his jaw. Her question and actions told him that she had figured out his problem. "Don't you want me?"

His hands slid up her thigh, and neither knew how thankful the other was that she was wearing a pair of slacks. "That's not a question you ever need to ask." He said a bit more lightly. Her touch seemed to be releasing some of the tension in his body. His hands roamed further until they were sliding up her back. "I think you know that answer will always be yes."

As much as she was tempted to give in right here and now, she had to find out why he seemed to be restraining himself from touching her this intimately.

"Then why did you tell me not to sit like this? Why haven't you been kissing me? In fact, now that I think about it, why haven't you been touching me for any longer than necessary?" she asked seriously.

"Because..." Mamoru started before sighing. "I don't want you to think that that's all I want from this relationship." He took his hands off her and sat back in the chair as she continued to straddle him. Now it was his turn to run his own hands through his hair. "I want there to be more to us than physicality. I want to show you that I don't give in every time I get an urge to have you. And believe me I'd love nothing more than to have you as often as I like."

The comment made her blush slightly and chuckle. Mamoru was never one to mix words with her. She didn't interrupt and so he continued.

"We have a lot of years to make up for and I don't want to spend all that time in the bedroom."

"Or living room." She interjected cheekily. More and more as he spoke she felt his body relax under hers. He laughed heartily at her insinuation.

"That was your fault if I remember correctly." He said with a smirk on his face.

"And that still doesn't explain why you couldn't have told me this earlier. I could have saved you a LOT of problems." Usagi replied with a wink. "Honestly Mamo – chan, I don't think that at all. It has never crossed my mind. I actually think it would improve our trust issues a bit more, don't you agree?" wriggling her hips a bit over his to get her point across.

"Usa..." his eyes grew dark. The moonlight had begun to stream in, indicating how long they were sitting there. The way it kissed her skin was doing dangerous things to the control that he was close to losing. He did the only thing he knew would work.

"Our office will be ready tomorrow, so I told them we will come and check it out. If it's to our liking we can stay, extend our "vacation" and work from here. I can get more of our stuff sent down. All you have to do is say the word."

She sensed the change in topic but knew it was his way. Some things never changed in people and this she would have to accept, again, as a part of him.

"I love it here Mamo – chan. It's nice to not be looking over my shoulder or wondering who is keeping tabs on my life and relationship. How long can we stay?"

"As long as you want love. I know it won't be easy for you given your friends, so take whatever time you need to decide. I'm ok with whatever decision you make."

"Arigato. I'm sure I want to stay. As soon as you can get our things here will be fine. I will deal with the others, that's not a problem. You're not the only one who wants to do whatever it takes to make this work. And right now I think we made the right choice."

He smiled and closed his eyes. Things were going well and he hoped they continued to. In Sapporo they were far away from everything that worried them in Tokyo; everything that worried him in Tokyo. There were too many secrets and too many lies in Tokyo. With that behind them they were free to start afresh without a care in the world. And yet his mind wouldn't rest easy knowing that he'd always be responsible for the pain she felt over Jadeite and trust issues she developed towards relationships in general. But he would be there to fight alongside her until the slate was wiped clean, or forgotten. Either way, he was not losing her now and their new life in Sapporo would be the perfect place for them. It would gnaw at him until it was perfect; that threat of the 'what if'. What if Rei found out and followed them here? What if Rei told the Motoki and the others about what they had done, planned by him? What if Usagi found out? What if she left again? To clear his mind he let go of his control.

He kissed her. With all the pent up passion he had been restraining for so long. When he felt her needy response it served to awaken everything he was trying to repress, and felt stupid for doing so. He wasn't only depriving himself, he was depriving her. The groan she gave as she ground her hips into his was his undoing. Mamoru moved from her lips down to her neck, determined to make the moment as pleasurable for her as it would be for him. She whispered his name over and over again in a trance like chant, casting a spell over them. He knew what she was asking for. Somewhere in their frenzied passion their clothes became undone and were in piles around the floor. They lay on the plush carpet; Mamoru wrapped within the confines on her thighs. He worshipped her body as the goddess she appeared to be under him.

When Usagi awoke next it was to annoying shrill coming from the bed head. In her dazed mind she could still feel the effects of making love on the floor and her body was begging for rest. It was all the more reason to get rid of the annoying sound. She realised the ringtone as Mamoru's.

'_Who the hell would be sending him a message this late at night?' _she wondered in frustration.

With a sigh of resignation she unwillingly untangled herself from the arms of her love. She was stopped by a gentle tug.

"Leave it." came the groggy order. "They can wait."

"Yes but I need sleep. It's not easy handling you."

Even in his half asleep state he smirked at the compliment.

"Let me just put it on silent so it doesn't wake us up again, Mr. Forgetful."

He kept a hold of her waist as she reached for the offending device. When she picked it up she saw one name flash across the display. Calmly she read the incoming message and did all she had to in order to avoid awaking her companion with a reaction. Upon a hunch she opened the entire inbox and read through message after message. Most weren't as detailed as this one. In fact, they were usually one liners. She moved to the sent items to see if her feelings were right. Forwarding them all to herself she didn't allow any emotion to cloud her judgment now. She used the opportunity now that his hands were loose to slip free from his hold. There was no time to pack anything else. All she needed was what she was putting on her back now.

'_Only one thing left to do.'_

"Come on please pick up."

"Usa?" the voice said desperately on the other line.

"Kunz, can you come get me from the airport? I'll be landing in an hour."

There was no response as the line was disconnected. Usagi wasn't worried however. The only thought going through her mind at the moment was self depreciating.

'_You fool. You've been had again.'_

* * *

**I DON'T THINK IT WAS MUCH OF A CLIFFY LOL BUT EXACTLY HAS USAGI FOUND? AND FROM WHOM? AND I LOVE AN OVERPROTECTIVE KUNZITE - REMINDS ME OF MY REAL LIFE BROTHER (THOUGH NOT AS VIOLENT) AS ALWAYS PLEASE R&R. I ALWAYS LOVE YOUR COMMENTS JA NE :)**


	21. Too late to apologise?

**Hola! Promised I'd update quickly so here it is! What exactly did Usagi see? Read on and find out!**

* * *

It had been months, but it felt like centuries to him, since he had last seen her. Worry, depression, anger, sadness and loneliness were all settling in heaving on his heart. He guessed correctly that she had probably read the text that he had received that night and left while he had been asleep. Anger quickly consumed his being as he thought of who exactly sent the text, and the pride in her eyes that shone while she feigned innocence when he had confronted her.

**He burst into her office, not bothering to knock or worrying about who was looking. **

"**Mamo – chan! I didn't expect you today. To what do I owe the pleasure?"**

"**Cut the shit Mizuno and don't ever call me that. I could forgive anything you tried to do, but you crossed the line. What the hell did you think would happen? Usagi would leave and that would leave me all available for you? Get it through your head Mizuno: we will NEVER be anything."**

"**What are you talking about Mamo – chan? Slow down!" she said. A smirk had appeared so briefly he thought he had imagined it. **

"**You know damn well what I'm talking about. I hate you. I hope you and Rei both burn in hell." He was trying his damndest not to choke the life out of her as he stood over her desk. **

"**Temper temper Mamo – chan." She taunted, knowing how much he hated that name coming from anyone other than his dear Usako. "My father wouldn't want his future son-in-law losing his cool so easy over trivial matters."**

**She was riling up, he knew. As much as his patience was wearing thin, he refused to take the bait. **

"**I know you sent that text Mizuno. It reeks of you. While you're only interested in spending daddy's money and not actually running the company that makes that money, you're still a tech geek. That was a nice hack and trace you ran trying to find my new number. That's how I know it was you and not Rei like you pretended to be."**

"**I don't know what you're talking about." Ami stated with a bit more caution. **

"**Don't play Mizuno. Rei is street savvy. She could never pull that off without assistance. And she doesn't have the money to pay off some random person to do it for her. Especially when you're here and she can play on your own desires to get you to do it. I'm only going to warn you once Mizuno, do NOT interfere with my life or else I will run daddy's business into the ground." Mamoru finished in a low sneer.**

"**I'd do it all over again. When you open your eyes and forget the girl you're pining after I'll still be here waiting. Just like before when you came running to me when Usagi dearest wasn't putting out for you." She responded with a mischievous glint in her eye. **

**Mamoru was silent. No one knew of his sole indiscretion with her. It was a moment of weakness and a moment he would always regret. It was what fuelled her belief that there was more to them than there actually was. It cemented his belief that it was indeed her that had sent the text. Sober or drunk, Mamoru was 100% sure nothing had ever happened between he and Rei. The only person other than Usagi he had ever touched was Ami. **

"**Cat got your tongue Mamoru? I know how much that night means for us so I thought I would give you a gentle reminder of how it would be during our marriage." **

**He glared murderously at the object of his anger and hate at the moment. She still had not moved from behind her desk through it all. She was in control, she thought. He needed to grip the reins again. **

"**Do you really think there will still be a company for daddy if those fraud rumours become law suits? Or did you think no one would know about the blackmail that you helped daddy with in order to grow by almost 200% in a few years?" **

**When her eyes opened wide and filled with fear Mamoru finally smirked in cool satisfaction. He was in the driver's seat again. **

"**What? You didn't think I'd go digging up to find out about a company I will like own? With you by my side of course, wifey." He said with a snarl. "Think about it before you try meddling. I will bring you down if you interfere with me and Usagi again." **

**Leaning down and grabbing her face from across the table he kissed her roughly. **

"**See you later darling." **

He had left in a hurry. There was no one he could ask as to her whereabouts since the only ones who knew were probably ready to kill him on site. Luckily, he thought, they weren't actively pursuing him so it gave some much needed breathing space.

"Where are you Usako?"

As his mind was running through the possibilities, a sharp knock jumped him. Muttering a few curses at the intrusion, he slowly walked to the door wondering who would be coming to him at this time. Opening the door he was met with a quick fist to his face.

"Ita! What the hell Motoki!"

Pushing Mamoru inside he shut the door behind them.

"You have 2 minutes Chiba. And they start now."

"What are you talking about Motoki?" he said, still holding his now broken and bleeding nose. "Can I at least get some tissue so in here is not a bloody mess?" he continued with a sigh.

"30 seconds gone Chiba. I'm waiting."

"I suppose you're here because a certain blue eyed woman is now missing."

When Motoki didn't respond he sighed again and decided to come clean before Motoki decided to break more than his nose.

"That day when she walked into my office after all these years I was confused. She knew I was running the company and at this level she'd more than likely be working directly with me. Yet she still applied. She came in and sat in front of me for an interview like it was nothing; like we were perfect strangers. Her face haunted my dreams for weeks. She had gotten so beautiful." Mamoru paused and smiled as he remembered that day. He shook his head and continued.

"A lot had changed about her, I slowly realised. There was no 'Mamo – chan' to greet me or any random smiles thrown my way. I got the same treatment from her as everyone else - formal, impersonal attitude that cemented where our relationship stood. That drove me crazy. I wanted to know that I still had some sort of effect on her, but she gave nothing away. I hated myself for still feeling. There wasn't a day that passed where I was free from her presence jump starting my feelings for her. Yet she seemed so unaware of it, or she was aware but didn't care. Then Jadeite appeared. I guess I can now freely admit that I was jealous."

He turned his face a bit before continuing. No matter how much he justified his actions in his own mind, it was totally different admitting to Motoki that he'd basically set up his little sister to be hurt.

"In my mind, she didn't deserve to be happy while I was struggling to deal with her. I was unable to be satisfied with anyone else and my twisted reasoning figured the only solution was to come between her and Jadeite."

The tears were unexpected. Motoki was surprised to see his friend crying, for the second time so openly. Mamoru was surprised that he allowed one person to see him cry more than once, but he couldn't help the shame he felt for his actions. Looking Motoki straight in the eye, he admitted to what he knew was the nail in his coffin.

"I used Rei to go after Jadeite knowing she'd have no problem doing it. We were fortunate that Usagi had never told him about what happened between us so he didn't know who Rei was. The night she told him about it he apparently threw it back at her the next day and we talked about it at work. We started talking a bit easier after that and I couldn't deny it anymore. By then it was too late to stop what I had started. But I have not and will never sleep with Rei." He ended in a heartfelt plea, hoping that at least that would buy him some points somewhere along the line.

"I know what I did isn't right, even if my motives changed in between. I don't even expect your forgiveness Motoki. But please know that at no time have I ever touched Rei."

Motoki's silence and unwavering gaze was starting to get to Mamoru.

"Well?"

"Well what Mamoru?"

"Aren't you going to hit me? Cuss me out? Anything?"

"Your guilt will do that for you so I don't need to do it to you. I do have to ask you Chiba, again, why didn't you come to me?"

"Come to you with what exactly?" Mamoru asked genuinely curious.

"All of this. Your feelings towards Usa, the jealousy, everything. Damn it Mamoru your idiocy and stubbornness are ripping apart Usa again. How many chances are you going to ruin with her? That woman loves you. That includes the genius you can be and the idiot you are. Why do you have to be such a jackass when it comes to her?" he finished while shoving Mamoru.

Mamoru stumbled a few steps before he caught his balance. Simply staring at the floor he did nothing in retaliation.

"We were best friends Mamoru. Even when your parents picked up and went to Europe we messaged each other daily and kept in contact. You came back here and it was like you had never left. You told me everything about your goals, the troubles, the expectations your parents had that you were afraid of not meeting. Since you and Rei became friends back then you stopped talking to me as freely and turned into a closed off introvert. I had to watch you change from the best friend I would do anything with and for, to the selfish man standing in front of me today who would hurt the ones he claimed to love for his own desires."

Guiding Mamoru more gently towards the single arm chair, Motoki motioned for him to sit while he got some gauze and alcohol to clean up the blood from his broken nose. Mamoru stared quietly at the wall in front of him as Motoki looked around the apartment. When Motoki returned he worked in silence cleaning up Mamoru's face.

"I don't hate you Mamoru." Motoki said in a voice just above a whisper.

"I think I hate myself enough for us all so don't worry about it." Mamoru replied just as softly.

Motoki went to throw away the dirtied objects, and upon return pulled up a foot stool to sit directly in front of Mamoru.

"You've done some really stupid shit Mamoru. I honestly thought this was your chance with Usa. Take my advice and start by forgiving yourself. I've forgiven you even after hearing all that. Usa will too, you know that. After all, she forgave your ignorant ass the last time. She will need more time however. I'll let her know I talked to you and..."

"Wait. You know where she is?" Mamoru interrupted suddenly.

"Of course I do. But as I said, give her time. Plus Kunzite is still, well, Kunzite. You're going to wish for a broken nose if he sees you." Motoki said with a smirk.

"Thanks, I guess." Mamoru said with a bit of fear in his voice. "For the broken nose."

"Look buddy, I won't tell you what to do after that. I'm not going to tell you that just because she forgives you that it will all work out for you two. But be honest with her and at least clear your conscience. That's from best friend to best friend. Don't worry about if you end up with her or not. Just make sure you can sleep at night Mamoru, and that she doesn't think something is inherently wrong with her that men treat her like this."

"She thinks that? No no no! That's not...she's not the problem. She could never be the problem." He sighed. "I really screwed this up. With business I can see 20/20 and possibly have a bit of foresight. Put Usako in front of me and I can't even see over my own nose." He closed his eyes and frowned.

"I'll give Usako her space. Let her know, wherever she is, I'm sorry."

"You know, I'm sorry too Mamoru. Usa was always happiest in those moments with you, and with her the true you that I know tended to come out more."

With that Motoki got up and left Mamoru alone in the apartment with his thoughts.

* * *

The night air was chilled. She didn't feel like going home to her lonely house again so she popped into a little coffee shop to get away from the bite. There were only a couple customers inside so she gladly took up an open booth. It didn't take long for a waiter to come to her asking for her order. It was brought back to her quickly and she allowed the steam rising from the mug to warm her skin.

"Usa?"

She looked up at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Jadeite!"

"Um. Can I join you?" he asked timidly. This was much different from the man she knew.

"Uh sure."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm ok I guess. And you?"

"A bit tired but I'm good too." He stared at his hands before continuing. He always had it in his head what he would say if he ever ran into her. Now the moment was here and he was completely unsure as to how to begin.

"Did you really love me?" she begun for him.

"I did." Jadeite answered honestly. "I couldn't see myself with anyone else but you."

"I'm sorry."

He smiled ruefully as he looked over at her. "It's ok Usa. Somehow I always felt you were holding back some of yourself from me. At least now I know who it belongs to."

"Heh. You always knew?" she asked with a wry smile on her face.

"I had a slight inclination that whoever held your heart before you met me still had a piece. And if Mamoru still held a place in your heart after everything he did, my guess is he will always be there."

"Ain't that the truth." She mumbled under breath.

"I'm also sorry. For everything. You deserved better than what happened. Through it all you were faithful, and even though nothing ever went further than a few meetings for lunch and dinner, I was not completely faithful to you. When I found out who she was her persona didn't match who you and Kunzite had accused her of being. My curiosity got the better of me, I admit, and it raised doubts about you and Kunzite. And as they say, curiosity killed the cat."

"Thank you for your honesty Jadeite. But we're both guilty in some way. It wasn't fair of me to be in a serious relationship with you especially when I wasn't giving 100% of me. I mean, for me that wasn't being faithful to you either."

Jadeite chuckled. "I guess I will always understand how you feel about him. I will always feel that way about you."

She blushed at his words. In her heart however, she longed for the same honesty from the one who held her heart. Motoki had called early this morning and let her know that he had spoken to him, and found out everything that went down around her. She didn't doubt when he said that he had never slept with Rei like she was insinuating in her text. Motoki however did not want to go into what the other texts meant. He had said he would leave that for Mamoru to explain whenever she was ready to give him a listening ear.

"Thinking about him again?"

"Oh. I guess." Usagi said dejectedly as she sighed.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Well I..." she sighed. "How much would you be willing to forgive me for?"

"That depends. What have you done?"

"Uhh I don't actually know." Usagi answered shyly. "I know it sounds weird but I don't know what I'm angry at. All I know is that it's not good."

"Ok. For your own sanity I'd say you forgive him. Even if you don't remain together, don't leave anything hanging in the air thinking what might have been. Be sure in whatever decision you make after that."

"Sort of like what we're doing here?"

"Sort of." He answered with a laugh and a shake of the head. "But I know for sure there's no possibility of us being together and that's the main difference."

She laughed heartily for the first time in a long time. "You make it sound so simple. What's protecting me from being hurt again?"

"Nothing. That's the risk you take Usa. You just have to be strong enough to live with whatever decision you make. If it works out for you two then hey," he shrugged casually, "you have nothing to worry about. If it doesn't then I know you have people around who will help you get through. And I hope after tonight you know I will also be there if you need me. We started out as very good friends and I want us to go back to that. That's all I'm asking."

Usagi smiled easily. "I'd like that Jad."

He returned her smile. "Are you staying at your old place?"

"Yea I'm heading there now. Care to walk me home?"

"Sure."

He did the gentlemanly thing and got up first to pull out her chair.

'_Forgive me Usa.'_

**Is this a cliffy? Hmmmmm LOL I hope you enjoyed! and as always Read and Review! Ja Ne! =)**


	22. Why Him?

**Here we go with the next installment! I had a lot of trouble writing this one, which will be explained at the end. That's the only reason for the delay. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy! **

**Just a quick note: I appreciate ALL reviews, even the one telling me to watch my grammar LOL. If that is the critique, from anyone, just give me an example of a correction to be made. I'm doing this without another reader so basically you are all my betas. When I read it back I know what I want to say, so unless there's an obvious error I can miss things. Feel free when reviewing to let me know what the exact mistake(s) is/are you see so that I can make the correction...**

* * *

She stood in front of the floor length mirror inside the closet inspecting every inch of her semi nude form. Her hair was up in a messy pony tail, having done it like that to avoid getting it wet while she soaked in a bubble bath. The circles that had taken up residence under her eyes the past few weeks were slowly but surely disappearing.

'_I could still do with a facial.'_ She thought.

Long, slender arms and legs were her pride and joy, if she ever did admit it. A cute butt in her opinion to go with her already small form, coupled with moderate sized breasts. She sometimes envisioned herself with the assets of her favourite athlete Serena Williams and would laugh as she paraded around her room with her bra and panties stuffed holding her tennis racquet. It brought back memories of the time Motoki had caught her "winning Wimbledon" and she had to promise to clean his room for a month in order to keep her secret safe. A small giggle escaped her lips as she remembered a much lighter time. Quickly a sigh escaped afterwards as she thought of how the world had jaded her. Gone were the days where she would laugh over silly things. Kunzite had trained her well in preparation for all the curve balls life could throw. She guessed her mother would have been proud of the way she carried herself – the stoic, emotionless demeanour, which gave nothing away.

'_Give nothing away until you are sure they can be trusted.'_

Usagi recalled her mother's words to her in one of their blue moon mother/daughter talks. Of course that was not how she had lived before. Even after she became this way, she couldn't help but trust people. She couldn't help but trust him. Slowly her eyes went towards the small protrusion that had become more noticeable. Proof, that no matter what, one person was always allowed in. Placing a hand softly on her stomach, she massaged it gently as she thought of the little boy or girl growing inside of her. There was no denying her joy when she found out. Even now she was still happy. No one knew except Jadeite as he had taken her to the doctor. Luckily she had avoided the morning sickness unlike most women, but her constant fatigue and 2 missed cycles were enough to convince her to have a doctor confirm her suspicions. Now, at 4 months along she was starting to show. There would be no hiding it from her friends, and she knew how they would react when she told them.

"First to tell Mamoru." She said to her reflection, still rubbing her stomach.

He had called earlier, voice as soft as she had ever heard, to ask if they could talk tonight. Usagi knew what he wanted to discuss with her, and at first she was hesitant. If he saw her he'd instantly know about their expected child. The more she thought about it she didn't want to hide it from him any longer. Mamoru deserved to know about his child and to make the decision on whether he wanted to be a part of the child's life or not, regardless of whether they ended up together. She sighed again, which she realised she had been doing a lot whenever she thought of Mamoru. There was a love for him that she could never get over, though she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to. Somewhere deep down she felt it wouldn't matter if Mamoru came and told her he had been planning to rob every bank on the planet, once he was running away with her at the end of it all she would be with him. It wasn't that simple however. She closed her eyes, trying to relax her fraying nerves.

"This isn't good for you is it?" she whispered to her unborn child.

Deciding what to wear, she set about her usual routine when she heard the intercom signalling someone was outside. With soft careful steps she went over and took a deep breath before pressing it.

'_This is it.'_

"Kon'nichiwa. Daredesuka?" she said in her most neutral tone.

No one responded.

She repeated herself and again there was silence. "Mamoru?"

Again, there was no response. This was getting creepy.

"Mamo-chan?"

"You would love it to be him wouldn't you Usako?"

She knew that voice. The hatred and malevolence directed towards her was always unmistakable.

"Hino-san. What are you doing here?"

Rei knew why she was here. Mamoru was not going to beat her to this and make himself appear innocent of it all. He had crossed her and payback was going to be a bitch. She and Jadeite were going to be happy, while Mamoru would suffer at the loss of his precious Usagi. She would never understand what he saw in that woman, but it didn't matter now.

"I'm here to let you know what your final thoughts are going to be."

* * *

Mamoru was late. An anomaly if there ever was one, especially when he'd been the one to suggest the time. However, an emergency meeting with some unhappy clients put a dent in his plans for the night.

'_If only she would get a stupid car and drive herself.'_ He thought angrily. Most of it was directed towards himself, as he knew if he kept her waiting then she might not want to go through with this. Motoki had apparently talked to her and a couple weeks later, in her own generosity, she had texted him and let him know she was ready to talk when he was. When he read it he sent up many thanks to God almighty for another chance which he promised that he wasn't going to let slip by, and was sending up many prayers now to help him get there safely given how fast he was racing through the street. He also thanked God for Motoki. The best friend he ignored and almost let slip out of his life over some very grave mistakes. Through it all Motoki had still always found a way to talk some sense into him, not only because of Usagi's involvement, but because he loved Mamoru. Like a brother Motoki loved Mamoru; and had been right, he acknowledged. When Rei imposed herself on Mamoru's life, Motoki gradually started taking a back seat. Even after everything however, his best friend was still there for him, giving him a literal kick in the ass, or punch in the nose, when he needed it.

'_Can't this thing go any faster?' _he thought in frustration.

He was still about 10 minutes away and with each passing second he found himself promising that if this worked out one of them was moving in with the other. The way he was feeling Mamoru was even considering the unthinkable – give up the only home he'd known to move in with her.

"Ha! If Motoki found that out he'd have a heart attack." He whispered.

Looking up ahead he saw a line of traffic and muttered a few curses at whatever was the source of the blockage; this line was at a standstill. Knocking his head against the steering wheel he wondered why everything in the universe seemed to be conspiring against him the one time he was doing the right thing. Seeing no other alternative than to be patient and wait in line like the rest of drivers, he decided to call Usagi and let her know he was going to be late. A puzzled expression crossed his face when he got a busy signal.

"Maybe she's trying to call me at the same time." He offered himself as an explanation. "She'd never expect me to be late." He smiled at the thought that she wasn't shying away from this. She was giving him a chance to at least tell her the truth. It was all he could ask for really. Where they went afterwards was up to her and he was determined to accept whatever decision she made. Looking at his watch Mamoru was a bit disappointed. In about 2 minutes the line of traffic had moved approximately 0 metres, and Usagi had not tried calling.

"Ok let's try this again."

Going into the call log he selected his last call and tried her house again.

"Busy again." he tried to keep the feeling of rejection from surfacing but it was hard to when he couldn't help but assume she was on the line speaking to someone else. His little green eyed friend was beginning to make an appearance and Mamoru tried with all his might to get rid of him.

"Ok. Maybe she left the phone of the hook." It seemed logical to him. With that in mind he decided to try her cell. After a few rings there was an answer. His blood ran cold.

"Mamo-chan." She cried between shallow gasps for air. "The baby."

* * *

'_Just show me my bed.'_

That was the only thought going through his mind right now.

"You're home."

He jumped at the sound of her voice. Turning to face her he mentally smacked himself for missing her presence in the room.

"I thought you were coming home early so we could go out? But looking at your face I don't think that'll be happening." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Nano-chan." Kunzite started apologetically. "I got caught up with some reports. Without Jadeite I'm doing both his and my work." He made a move to close the gap between them.

"I know that but can't you get someone to replace him? You've been working late almost every night and the one time we make plans you don't even call!" her voice was rising and her body was shaking from holding in the anger.

"I'm sorry. I can't say anything else except I'm sorry Nanako. I won't cancel tonight though." Kunzite said softly. He had fully closed the gap and was now slowly kneeling before her as she sat on their couch. "We're still going. I know things haven't been easy with our schedules, but I'd never forgive myself if I made you dress up this sexy and had nowhere to wear it." he rested his head on her lap and she ran her hands through his hair.

"Kunz." She started in a gentle tone. "I know we argued about this in the past, but why don't you let me take over..."

"No." He interrupted. "I could afford to be a pain in the ass to Jadeite whenever we had deadlines to meet and the like but I can't do that with you. Please don't make me turn you down." He didn't look up to meet her eyes cause he knew he would give in immediately.

"Why not Kunz? I have the qualifications. I have worked in a corporate office before so I know all about meeting deadlines and handling pig headed bosses." She said smiling down at him undeterred. "At least allow me to work for a few months before deciding. I'll even go for an interview if you want and if they turn me down I'll never bring it up again. Unless you influence them of course."

He groaned in response both to her touch in his hair and her request. It was reasonable. He needed someone to replace Jadeite. He knew her qualifications and experience. She had the ability to even run the office if need be. There was the possibility, however, that business could get between them personally. That was a risk he was unwilling to take.

"Kunz." Nanako tried again. "I don't want to be just a housewife. I know you can support us both but I need to feel useful, not to mention avoiding the boredom. I want to feel like I spent all those years studying for something. And if we have a fight at work I'm sure there are plenty ways we can make it up at home afterwards."

He groaned again, and took the risk of looking up at her. Those were the eyes only two people could use on him. Every time it worked like a charm. Sighing, he buried his face in her lap.

"Alright." He mumbled.

"We can skip dinner tonight Kunz. I already cooked for us." She leaned over, placing a kiss on the back of his head. "I'd never forgive myself if I made you go out looking like shit."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

Finally getting up he stood to his full height and took her hands to pull her up. Smiling down at her he placed a light kiss on her nose.

"I think I much prefer that we stay indoors. This dress isn't allowed in public." He said huskily as he looked her over fully.

A sudden vibration in his pocket drew a grumble from him.

"Answer it. I don't want any interruptions later." She whispered in his ears before leaving him to go to the kitchen. He stared after her in a stupor before the ringing brought him back to reality. Taking the phone from his pocket he saw a familiar number on the screen.

"What do you want Masters?" answered Kunzite in as calm a voice as he could muster.

"I called to apologise; for everything. I didn't mean for things to get this far. It wasn't supposed to end this way."

"Calm down Jadeite. What's not supposed to end this way?" Kunzite asked, trying to sound as even as possible. He hoped this was a drunken call and that the crying man who was rambling on the other line was simply throwing a hissy fit. This was impeding on his time with his fiancée and he was quickly losing his patience.

"Usa." Jadeite whispered. It was so soft that Kunzite almost missed it. Almost. His body went rigid at the sound of her name, ears perking up and seemingly twitching like an animal listening for anything in its surroundings.

"What's wrong with Usa Jadeite?" Sweat beads were forming on his brow as he tried valiantly to keep calm enough to let the man talk. If something were truly wrong he knew he needed to let Jadeite, drunk or not, finish his ramblings. Free fingers curled and uncurled, as if a stress ball were in his palm. Piercing blue eyes stared straight ahead at a spot on the far wall.

'_Calm down Kunz. Just calm down.'_

"I loved her Kunzite. I loved her. She...loves him. It's always him. Why can't I be him? He doesn't deserve her! I love her! We...we were going to be together...together forever Kunz. Together forever." He laughed as Kunzite struggled with this emotions and the urge to say a few choice words and end the call.

"We were going to have a family. Did you know that? We had talked about it before we moved back here. We hoped we had one boy and one girl. It wouldn't have mattered who came first but we knew we would have two. Our daughter would have been beautiful, just like Usa." Jadeite paused for a moment and Kunzite could imagine him with a look on his face as he envisioned their future together. He still was at a lost as to where this conversation was headed but he let it continue. Jadeite started again.

"I wish I could see her one more time. I wish I could kill that man. She left me for him. Why him? He can't love her like I can. He will only hurt her again, but I... I can love her the way she needs to be loved. He stole my baby. That was supposed to be my baby!" Kunzite heard him sobbing as he yelled but his mind zeroed in on his last words.

"What do you mean Jad? What was supposed to be your baby?" Kunzite ground out. The rein on his control was slipping, and fast.

"She...she's having his baby." Kunzite felt a hand grip his and he squeezed it for dear life as he looked down at the woman before him. For probably the first time in his life he was truly speechless. Nanako used her other hand to caress his cheek as his eyes automatically closed, drawing on the comfort she offered to slow the rush of blood that was going to his head.

"I...I...I had to pretend I was ok. She gave herself to him. Why him? What's so special about him? I want to ask her, but I can't. I..."

"Why can't you Jadeite? Where is she that you can't talk to her Jadeite?" Kunzite interrupted. His patience was wearing thin and his sense of dread was overwhelming.

"She called Mamoru over to our house. I couldn't take it Kuznite! He is not the one she is supposed to be with! She belongs with me!" an anguished cry came over the line. Kunzite held his breath as he prepared for the worst, thankful Nanako was there with him.

"I told Rei about it. She was happy and said that we would soon be rid of her for good. I know what she's going to do. How am I going to live without her Kunzite? I don't think I can. At least Mamoru won't have her either. Just know that I did this for her, and now we can be together as we were meant to."

Eyes opened wide, pupils dilated, lungs expanded to maximum width as Kunzite understood the full repercussions of what was happening around him.

"Jadeite!" the scream escaped his lips as he heard the gun shot explode on the other end. He dropped the phone shakily as his mind and body tried to operate in harmony. Slowly a warmth was registering as he soon realised the tears that were coursing down his face were being wiped away by his love. Kunzite grabbed her tightly and buried his face in her hair.

"What's wrong Kunz?" the muffled words brought him out of his slight shock. He ran over the events again and took in a sharp breath as he remembered Usagi.

"Usa!"

Releasing the hold on his fiancée he picked up the phone. His only thought was to get over to Usagi as fast as possible.

"Call the police now. Tell them to get over to Usagi's as fast as they can." He ordered as gently as possible. "I'm going over there now."

"Kunz wait. What is going on?"

"I honestly don't know, but Jadeite just told me Usa is pregnant and Rei is going over there before he killed himself." She emitted a cry of shock as she covered her mouth. "This can't be good so call immediately. I'll call you and let you know when everything is ok."

"Be careful honey." She said before hugging him close. Fear caused her to shudder and he felt it as he held her.

"I will baby." Kissing her one final time he bound out the door.

* * *

"I hope you have made amends with your maker Usa-ko." Rei chuckled cruelly on the other end of the intercom.

Usagi was trying her hardest to fight. Her eyes were burning as were her lungs. This was not how this night was going to end. This was not how SHE was going to end. She looked around desperately, hoping she would see something and an idea would form as to how to escape from this mess. The more she looked the more futile her attempts seemed to her. Sliding down the wall she was leaning against, she didn't fight the tears that coursed down her face.

Rei had effectively locked her in her own house, using her own security system against her. She had proudly let Usagi know that Jadeite had been the one who had given her the original pass code so she could get in, and he had also let her know how to change it. As Usagi was running down the stairs to confront her eternal tormentor, she realised that the system was going into safe mode, which in effect was shutting off the windows and doors as the steel bars came down. A prisoner in her own home, she now cursed the elaborate security Jadeite had insisted be installed to protect them in what was, admittedly, a lonely neighbourhood. As she ran around the house she began to notice her breathing becoming laboured. The smell of natural gas was beginning to permeate the house. A kitchen towel had served as her only protection against the fumes until the flimsy material lost its usefulness after a couple minutes. She had to call Mamoru.

She had lost a bit of hope when she picked up the phone and realised there was no dial tone. The strangled cry came out louder than intended as she grabbed her hair in frustration. She called his name, hoping some force in the universe what carry the call from her lips to his ears. After a few minutes weeping she heard a soft vibration. Her cell! Stumbling over she said a quick thank you to God when she saw Mamoru's number. She gave the only message she could as her breathing became ragged.

"Mamo-chan." She cried between shallow gasps for air. "The baby."

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed it! This was hard because I don't approve of suicide AT ALL! I hate it with a passion. BUUUTTT it served a purpose in the story (hence the "forgive me Usa" at the end of last chapter hehe ). I knew where I was going but it didn't make it any easier.**

**Oh...and the baby! hehehehe**

** Please don't forget to read and review! Ja ne!**


	23. mind over matter really

**Hola! Apologies to everyone but all I can say is that life happened. -_- It caused a huge writer's block (just erasing and starting over an over) I appreciate everyone who is still interested and to any I disappointed I say sorry!**

**Now onto the chapter! hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

A plethora of thoughts were going through his mind; none coherent enough for him to act upon swiftly. Closing his eyes he went into business mode and tried to focus.

"Come on Chiba, calm down and focus!"

Traffic was creeping slowly along; he could see the place he was 5 minutes ago clearly in his rearview mirror. Obeying the only clear command in mind, he got out of the car, locking it, and started a brisk jog in the direction of her house. It helped that it was a bit cooler out than it had been earlier when he left home. He tried as hard as he could to just focus on getting to Usagi's as quickly as he could, ignoring the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever her strangled cry replayed in his ears. He did however find it quite easy to ignore the strange stares being thrown his way as the prominent business owner made his way down the sidewalk.

"Stay safe Usako. I'm coming."

* * *

She felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on what Rei was babbling on happily about. She knew that Rei was a bit twisted but never thought that things would ever get this far. Being close to her wits end, Usagi was desperately struggling to stay awake. She knew that no matter where Mamoru was, he was on his way, probably a bit faster; that gave her some hope. As much as she wanted to blame him for being late, she did not have the energy to put towards that. Instead she put whatever little energies she had into getting into contact with Mamoru again. In the background Rei was still talking. It was getting harder to ignore her obviously long winded "victory speech" and soon she found bits and pieces slipping pass the mental barrier she had erected.

Shakily she grabbed the cell that had been temporarily abandoned and dialed Mamoru's number. What were, in reality, two rings, felt like an eternity to her. Mamoru's voice came on strong, but the worry was evident.

"Usako? Usako are you alright?" he part shouted, part panted. He sounded like he was in rush and she was glad that a saviour was on his way.

"Usako can you hear me?"

"I'm….I'm here Mamo-chan." Usagi responded, gasping greedily for air at every second. "It's Rei. She…She's here. There's gas…." Drawing in a painful breath she continued, "The house…I'm trapped….I can't last."

* * *

The fact that he was almost 2 times over the speed limit was of no concern to him. There was only one priority at the moment and that was getting to Usagi's house as fast as possible. Still running through his mind was the conversation with Jadeite – the last time he would ever hear his former best friend and colleague. It was not his cup of tea to hear Jadeite end his life on the other end of a telephone call after spilling his guts on his previous betrayal. Even with that, he was still secondary especially since part of his "coming clean" included informing him that both Usagi and her unborn baby were in danger.

"Can't this stupid thing go any faster?" Kunzite asked out loud in clear displeasure, more at the situation than the vehicle.

He tried preparing himself for the worst, hoping for the best that could possibly come out of all this mess.

"No. No! There is no way that I will not make it in time. I just have to!" he ground out through his teeth. "She will be alright; she just has to be!"

He tried to remind himself of all the good times. The Usagi he knew was strong, and he was sure there was no way she would give up. What he also knew was that he wanted to meet his little niece or nephew. It surprised him that she had not told him about the baby, but easily wrote it off, acknowledging the fact that she had probably recently found out and the first person she would tell is Mamoru. That reasoning failed when he remembered what Jadeite had told him.

"Jadeite knew?" he asked himself rhetorically, as the fact ate at him a bit. "Come on Kunz this isn't the time to focus on something so meaningless." And with that he refocused his efforts on getting to her as fast as he could, but in one piece.

His faintly vibrating cell caught his attention with this subtle noise it made in its holster. Not bothering to check the caller display, he quickly pressed the button allowing him to use hands-free.

"Make it fast." He snapped, manners not high on his list at the moment.

"It's Mamoru. I need…"

"I'm on my way right now. Have you heard from her at all?" he said abruptly cutting off Mamoru. He figured in this situation Mamoru would appreciate his mood, and the need to cut out unnecessary chit chat.

"I have. She's trapped inside and gas is apparently leaking somewhere so she's having difficulty breathing. I don't know how long she has been inhaling it or how much longer she can take it. I'm about 5 minutes away on foot. How close are you?" Mamoru rattled off in between heavy breathing.

"I'm about 10 minutes out. We'll make it Chiba. Nanako has called the police so they should be on their way as well. Call me when you get there and assess the situation."

"Got it."

* * *

She could bet almost all her entire life savings that had anyone else been trying to kill her she'd have been dead by now. In a way that could only be described as sadistic, she wearily imagined how this would have been carried out by less of a megalomaniac. At least, in her warped thinking, she would be allowed to die without incessant nagging on the other end. Right now, she felt herself more on the unconscious side and knew it was only a few more minutes, if that much, that she had awake. She was determined to make sure that the last words she heard would not be Rei's.

A weak chuckle escaped her unwittingly. Even in her weak state the irony of being here was too much. Years ago she had left this place; a stupid situation had been blown unreasonably out of proportion all because of a woman, or rather a girl then, with a rather false sense of entitlement to everything, and everyone she wanted. There had been no plans to return then. As much as she had reasoned with herself that youth and its naivety had led to the unnecessary escalation of an easily diffusible situation, she also understood that Rei and Ami and been chomping at the bits to get at her and Mamoru. Makoto, admittedly, was always ready to follow the majority; never willing to stand on her own back then. Mamoru, she had expected better from, and it almost broke her to see how Rei had led him to doubt her to the extent that he could say what he did.

Almost. She worked hard. She dealt with the hand given and adjusted to suit. Love had found her again unexpectedly, this time being careful not to invest 100% - not willing to go through that hurt again. This time the players were all the same. This time she admitted that she had handled it wrongly. This time the outcome was on track to be a whole lot worse than a broken heart. This time she longed for the broken heart. Maybe if it had only been her life at stake she would have been satisfied just accepting whatever was to come. The life of her unborn child however growing inside gave her a reason to pray for an outcome where they had a life together as a family. Looking down at her stomach, she rubbed hoping the assurances she was sending to her child could be understood.

"Mind over matter baby." She whispered. "Mind over matter."

Trying as hard as possible, but to no avail, she was unable to keep herself from drifting off. The last sound she heard was a siren in the distance.

* * *

Slowly he approached the house as it was unfamiliar territory. He could not help but admire it even in these circumstances. The 2 storey family house was sprawled across a good piece of land, with its western styling making it stand out. He looked on and hoped that they would be able to start their family here. Scouting the premises, he noticed security bars were at every window on the 1st storey but none at those on the 2nd storey – guessing they thought no one could get up there in the first place. It had gotten much darker which now made it virtually impossible to see anything inside with all the lights off. There were lights at the corners he could see which were not on either. Figuring they were motion sensitive he made a note to steer clear of them. There was no use going through the front gate, as if Rei was still there she would easily see him and knowing she was clearly capable of murder, she would not hesitate to kill him as well.

Taking out his cell, he called Kunzite as agreed and as expected he did not wait long for an answer.

"What's going on there Chiba?" came the nervous and very tense voice from the other end.

"It's quiet. Security bars on the windows downstairs means I can't try sneaking in. No sign of Rei." Mamoru responded.

"Wait. The security bars are down? Damn him."

"What? What's going on Kunzite?" ask warily

"Those are in case of emergency bars. We had a long discussion about them with Usa because she would feel like a prisoner in her home if she had them there as permanent fixtures, but we still had to think about safety. Jadeite and I had call in a favour with an old friend of ours to get a system in place which is usually reserved for his corporate clients." He explained hurriedly. "If I understood correctly, Jadeite showed Rei how to use it and I guess now they have re-programmed it so Usa doesn't know the code to deactivate it, otherwise she would have gotten out if she wanted to."

His fast, nervous speech was hard to understand, but Mamoru got the gist of it.

"I figured the lights outside are motion sensitive so I'm still outside the guard wall. Is there any way…"

"Listen Chiba, the police just sped past me and I'm only 2 minutes out so they'll be there shortly. Lay low until you see them. Let them handle it. There's no telling what else Rei has planned and the sight of police for her will mean Usa was able to contact one of us." Kunzite ordered.

"Understood."

No sooner had the call ended than the sirens were heard blaring coming towards them. Kunzite was right – a flurry of expletives could be heard coming from the front porch as Rei noisily made her presence known. She looked to him like a woman gone mad as she atop the stairway.

"So you're alive in there! I thought your silence meant you were in there dying Usagi but I guess I'll have to come in and finish the job." Rei yelled.

Mamoru fought against his instincts, trying to obey Kunzite's order. He was failing miserably and soon found himself leaping over the guard wall he had been previously hiding behind.

"Come out and play Usagi!" Rei hissed as she punched the code to disarm the system.

"Rei! Don't be a fool. Stop this madness at once." Mamoru shouted while he ran.

"Oh I see you finally arrived to witness the death of your woman and your child!" Rei announced joyfully, hoping to shock him with this last piece of information. Her smile dropped when he continued on without falter. It served to fuel more anger inside of her. Spinning on her heel, she quickly made a dash for the door and opened it. Mamoru was hot on her heels at the bottom of the stairs. Frantically she looked around for where Usagi could be; finding her passed out with a protective hand over her stomach huddled in a corner. The air was thick and she too found it hard to breathe, but she was determined to end this in her favour once and for all. Going towards Usagi she pulled a knife from its place on her thigh. Victory was going to be hers.

In a flash she was being constrained with the hand holding the knife above her head.

"Drop it." Came the menacing snarl from Mamoru.

"Oh isn't it precious Mamo-chan. Now she will never be in our way." Rei responded.

Mamoru squeezed her wrist until it automatically opened and the knife dropped.

"You're lucky the police are here or else I'd do the honourable thing and kill you myself." He taunted in her ear. "Remember Rei, you're better to me dead than alive."

Squeezing her wrist tighter he was satisfied when she flinched in pain, reveling a bit in the small action. Yanking her body so she faced the door, he could not resist taunting her some more.

"What these men have in store for you is far better than what I want to do. I suggest you play nice or else." He finished with a low, sensual chuckle.

Looking into the eyes of the two police blocking the door, she saw their readiness to fire the guns they had pointed in her direction.

Mamoru led her to the men, one kept his gun on her as the other prepared to restrain her. Making his way back over to the corner where Usagi was, he knelt and gently moved the strands of hair that had fallen over her face. As he cradled her limp body, he felt her slow but steady heart beat. The tension was finally leaving his body. He held her tighter and tighter, not wanting to let go, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. His body tensed again preparing for a battle of some sort, but it left again as he realised it was Kunzite.

"The medics need to tend to her Chiba." He said in the calmest voice Mamoru had ever heard from the silver haired man. At the door where the police once stood were now two men with a medical kit with impatient yet understanding gazes directed towards him.

"She'll be ok Chiba."

With that, Mamoru gently set her back down to where she had been originally. The two moved and let the professionals do what they had come to do; watching intently as they checked her then moved her outside into the fresh air before putting her into the back of the ambulance. Mamoru had not realised how laboured his breathing had become until he went back outside, thanking the adrenaline for keeping him going.

"Will one of you be riding with us?" one of them asked.

"He will be." Kunzite answered as he volunteered Mamoru.

Mamoru looked at him stunned, but then gave half a smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Besides I don't think she will want my face to be the first she sees when she wakes up."

Sharing one of their very rare laughs, Mamoru shook his hand before getting into the back of the ambulance.

* * *

**Well? *yea I watch way too much snapped and ID* **

**We're soon to the end and hopefully that's it for my writer's block. as always R&R until next time ^_^ ja ne**


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